Steam was never part of the deal

As a kickstarter backer and ALPHA 2 Tester there was never a single mention that AoC would require a steam account.

It is one thing if one may not get the game they hoped for (hypothetically speaking), but the Steam EULA was never part of the deal.

Forcing player to require steam is wrong on both a ethical and legal level.

Giving the option to use steam is fine. Forcing one to use it is not.

If the decision is not altered to make steam optional, giving back players their money should be communicated as an option.

This post is not me saying "Steam bad". It is irrelevant what opinion one has about steam. It was never part of the deal.

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palabana

And? What problems specifically do have with Steam that is a dealbreaker?

Tyrfing

You are 100% Correct!

Giving the option to use steam is fine. Forcing one to use it is not.

Steven said very early on that this would NEVER be Steam only… and now it is.

I will NOT play using Steam. It is a deal breaker for my wife and I. They offer only Negative Customer Value. Their Support is an absolute disgrace. They constantly over reach by restricting your Steam account if you don't keep cash in your Account.

We are Kickstarter Backers and been here since the beginning as much as we can be. But looks like our path ends here and our last MMO hope goes with it along with our investment.

vyron1741

Yes it is complete crap. I smell a class action..

Apok

It's a distribution platform I don't see what the issue is

Noaani

https://forums.ashesofcreation.com/discussion/comment/511435#Comment_511435

There is absoutely no grounds for this.

I'd like it if it were a thing - I first said I'd like a refund for this game about 3 years ago. However, there are simply no grounds for it here.

Tyrfing

https://forums.ashesofcreation.com/discussion/comment/511444#Comment_511444

When you do not have a Steam Account or, have not used your account in a long time, Steam Requires at least a US$5 deposit and then you wait for Thirty (30) days before your account loses it "Restricted" status and Steam stops imposing in game controls on you.

If Steam was ONLY a launcher, then yep fine… but they over reach massively and offer absolutely no customer service whatsoever. I have absolutely no interest in supporting a Company or Product that makes it harder for me to do what I want, in this case play a game. There is for no good reason whatsoever for Steam only, it is just Steam being greedy and trying to restrict the development companies.

The $5 a year "Fee" is supposed to protect the community from malicious actors… but it DOES NOT WORK… anyone that played ARK knows that it was bot central… so yeah… it doesn't keep anyone safe it is just a waste of money for unwelcome and unneeded restrictions.

daveywavey

https://forums.ashesofcreation.com/discussion/comment/511460#Comment_511460

I've used Steam for over 20 years, and I've never once had to pay a yearly Fee.

nonameftw

As I said. It doesn't really matter what one thinks of steam. Its another ToS one has to agree to and another account one has to create.

It was never part of the deal.

This isn't really a discussion about the pros and cons of steam. Its about forcing such a decision onto players out of the blue without giving them the option to play without being tied into the steam eco system.

Volgaris

I'm not a legal person. But I highly doubt there's anything that can be done about it. If Steven said the game would never be Steam only then maybe some ethical wrong doing. But legally… I doubt it.

I'm a fan of Steam. Never had to pay a yearly fee, I have no idea WTF people are talking about here. Been on Steam for decades.

If they forced me to play through some other platform I don't like, then I guess I'd feel the same way.

Caeryl

Yeah, that sure was a very unimpressive email to get that they're just up and dropping support.

Games don't run well with Steam. It's a resource hog with tons of regular issues for multiplayer games. I'm not going to link Steam and if Intrepid decide that's more important than wanting people to play then game well… guess that's it for my experience with the game.

More fool me for investing in it before launch.

rek2

There are worse things when it come to ethics and privacy like using "discord" at least steam/valve helps open source and Linux, I am sure most of you that do not want to use "steam" then go on and use discord …. :shrug:

Apok

If you don't spend any money through steam you get a limited features account which restricts things like the workshop and sending messages. Now here's the real question, if you don't use steam why are those features so important to you?

Darrgos

I can certainly understand the discontent of some ‘Steam opponents.
It is certainly unpleasant to suddenly be outsourced to another sub-provider and thus also have support shifted.
However, this Steam cooperation will be the only option to really continue promoting the game.

Steam has a significantly wider reach to new and potential players than our own news site or in-house launcher.
However, I fear that the sometimes toxic nature of reviews and comments on Steam will become a problem.

We are now entering a real EA, so it's still basically a beta.
Many people will not understand this and will unnecessarily drag the game down 😥

This puts Intrepid under a lot of pressure to deliver. You know how it is... once players leave, they rarely come back and projects fail.

I hope they have really thought this step through carefully and will be able to keep up with the players' demands.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for us. 🤞

Nagash

I mean to be fair, this is just the latest in a long line of fuck ups intriped has made over the last seven years. If I know anything about steam and how people treat "early access", this game is going to be demolished, and while that would be funny to see, the amount I spent on it makes it taste just a tad bitter.

nonameftw

"I can certainly understand the discontent of some ‘Steam opponents."

I am not even opposed to Steam. But forcing players to use it for being able to play when it was previously never part of the deal is a scummy move, no matter what.

yrroth

lol as if we will get the game anytime soon

bloodprophet

https://ashesofcreation.wiki/Publishers

Thing have changed a lot in the last few months.

The question was asked early and often. The answer has always been no. Now it is use it or get lost.

Bad form.

Drazard

https://forums.ashesofcreation.com/discussion/comment/511460#Comment_511460

uh, what kind of scam is this? i have several steam accounts that are 10+ years old and have never even so much as touched a transaction with any of them.

this is some next level misinformation

Imanek

But people, let’s be realistic: barely a year ago, Steam had a very strict policy for early-access games. Consumers could request a refund at any moment before the game’s release, and I admit it many players would rack up hundreds of hours before asking for their money back.

Then Steam changed its refund policy, limiting it to 2 hours of playtime.
A change that, obviously, worked out very well for Steven and for other studios.

Naturally, with this new rule, Steven also changed his approach. Because yes: lots of boxes were sold, and let’s be honest… 2 hours go by extremely fast in a game like AoC.

The goal is to sell boxes. So he benefits from it why wouldn’t he?

That’s Steven’s “big change”: nothing complicated.

Honestly, for an early-access title, the refund window should be 15 to 30 days. It would calm down more than one studio before they try to just scam people.

redkillerjac

after the game comes out of early access will with lose our characters we make on steam on the 11th?

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