Steamy question.

[Lusitani]

Since i am a weak and spineless individual, I couldn't hold the pressure and decided to register on Steam to try to get the demo.

Now...I went to the Steam website, downloaded the client, installed it and it started updating...and it remained like that for a couple of hours, just updating and stuck.

I thought this might me a firewall problem, so i searched the steam help and all that to find details on that and made the necessary arrangements for it to...at least logically work. But...it didnt.

I also found on the Steam website a list of several programs that might constitute a problem with using steam:

Software to Look Out For

The following applications have been known to cause severe issues with Steam and playing games:

Anti-Virus Applications

* Avast!
* AVG Anti-virus *
* Kaspersky Anti-virus
* McAfee Anti-virus
* Nod32 Anti-virus *
* Norton/Symantec Anti-virus
* VIGuard Anti-virus

Anti-Spyware Applications

* Ad Aware
* CA Pest Patrol
* Spycatcher Express
* Webroot Spy Sweeper *

Firewall/Security Applications

* Comodo
* CYBERsitter
* ESET Smart Security
* Netlimiter
* McAfee Personal Firewall
* Nvidia Network Access Manager/Firewall
* Peer Guardian
* Tiny Personal Firewall
* Verizon Internet Security Suite
* Zone Alarm

Other Applications

* Alcohol 120%
* ATI Hotkey Poller
* BitTorrent/UTorrent (all clients)
* Daemon Tools
* Download Accelerators (all clients)
* GhostSurf 2007
* Google Toolbar, Google Updater
* K-Lite Codec Pack
* LimeWire, BearShare or other Peer 2 Peer applications
* Slysoft AnyDVD
* TeamSpeak (can lead to mic issues)
* Total Recorder
* Tuneup WinStyler Theme Service
* Ventrilo (can lead to mic issues)
* VirtuaGirl 2
* WindowBlinds
* Xfire

* We recommend that these applications are fully uninstalled from your system if disabling them does not resolve the issue

Now...considering that some of these are actually very popular ones I asked myself...what is really the advantage of using steam without having to change a few things in one's setup!?
Moreover, why should anyone feel "forced" to get rid of a specific anti-virus or other type of software to use an online service( if anyone browses the Steam help forums there are plenty of threads about stolen or hacked accounts) that one's may not necessarily want to use??

So I have 2 questions for you guys:

1. Did anyone had the same problem or knows the solution?

2. Should i really complain about Steam when i have to spend 40 to 50 Euros in an... unfinnished product( and i say unfinnished cause apparentely i still need Steam to use something I payed for and i own...or will in this case).

To be honest I find this whole Steam issue disrespectful and a violation of my rights as a consumer...as I have stated in a couple of threads here and elsewhere.

Anyway...thanks in advance for any answers and opinions of course.

V.

[peacemaker]

well I quite frankly didn't have too many problems with the demo. When it asked for an update I just closed that window and continued with the original download. People complain about the demo being slow, it's only a minute or so till the battle starts on a mediocre computer like mine. I'm not sure if I have a solution to that, just wait for the demo to finish I guess(I have norton antivirus).

2)Well, I don't really think you should complain. It's your choice to buy the game as a customer, and if you don't want steam then you completely have the option to not buy the game. Steam and the game are a package deal, you can deal with steam or you can just not get the game. It's not really a violation of your rights as a customer unless they force you to buy the game:whip:...It's sort of a package deal.

[Lusitani]

well I quite frankly didn't have too many problems with the demo. When it asked for an update I just closed that window and continued with the original download. People complain about the demo being slow, it's only a minute or so till the battle starts on a mediocre computer like mine. I'm not sure if I have a solution to that, just wait for the demo to finish I guess(I have norton antivirus).

2)Well, I don't really think you should complain. It's your choice to buy the game as a customer, and if you don't want steam then you completely have the option to not buy the game. Steam and the game are a package deal, you can deal with steam or you can just not get the game. It's not really a violation of your rights as a customer unless they force you to buy the game:whip:...It's sort of a package deal.

The problem is...I can't even get to the point of being able to download the demo...it simply wont run Steam without that update thingy :).

2) Of course noone is making me buy the game, its my choice to do it...or not. The point is...i want the game... but I dont want Steam, shouldnt that be my choice also? (as with any other game i have bought for almost 20 years...). I still find that "package deal" very unfair.

V.

[hoom]

Most of the above software stuffs around majorly with either the internet or display related parts of Windows in ways that can potentially break either the internet connection that Steam needs or the Display of full screen 3D applications which Steam is mostly about.
Especially if there are multiple Antivirus/Firewall software installed, that can easily give lots of issues.

If properly setup those software should not actually cause issues but eg you need to make sure that firewall software is set to allow Steam to access the internet (probably both inbound & outbound traffic).

[pevergreen]

The point is...i want the game... but I dont want Steam, shouldnt that be my choice also? (as with any other game i have bought for almost 20 years...). I still find that "package deal" very unfair.

V.

No it isnt your choice.

Just be thankful the only DRM in this game is steam. We got off lucky.

I have never had any problems with steam either.

[The historian]

I have had a similar problem just insist you'll get it in the end.

[Lusitani]

No it isnt your choice.



I know its not...lol but it should imo.

Don't take me wrong guys I find the Steam concept an excellent one and a great way of getting games. i intend to buy it on a games shop and the point is that....by doing that I should not need the steam activation thingy. Thats what bothers me the most.

Thanks for the answers btw.

V.

[quadalpha]

I used Avast with no problems. Also, I like how they "recommend" you uninstall P2P programs.

When it started updating, did it display the progress bar?

[Lusitani]

I used Avast with no problems. Also, I like how they "recommend" you uninstall P2P programs.

When it started updating, did it display the progress bar?

I have Avast also, no p2p installed and the the progress bar always freezes after a while and restarts...and so on.

V.

[Thermal]

I have had a similar problem just insist you'll get it in the end.

What he said, happened to me but the second time around it worked after being stuck on 30% for 2 hours

[Polemists]

My best advice is don't read the percentage, just ignore it. The percentage dosn't matter.

All it does is factor in the percentage it is updating since last update.

So for instance if first time you do the download it gets you 100 megs, then it stops, you exit program and you restart

it will say 0%, even though you still have those 100 megs. Best thing to do is exit out, go into Steam/Common Apps/Empire Total War Demo/Properties and look at size of the file, it should increase every so often.

If your not getting any 30 kbps or 300 kbps, then I'd say go into Steam/Setting/Download Region and change your region to another region.

[knoddy]

my question is how can the steam fanbois still support it with all the problems people are having with it????

[peacemaker]

well, I figure they're bugging CA for an update or something so people stop complaining. But lucky me, I just closed the window when it asked for a demo and mine works fine...Maybe if you turn off your antivirus? Plus my internet connection was really slow, about 46 kbps but then i went to someone else's house and it shot up to around 400 kbps.

[Polemists]

easy, they love counterstrike and half life 2 :P

[ainamacil]

I have had a similar problem myself.

I downloaded Steam, have turned off any and all programs listed (including my firewall, which I was less than pleased about doing), and the little progress bar just sits there (never making it beyond one percent and usually staying at 0) until it either tells me that there was an error (couldn't access Steam Library.dll or something to that effect) and closes, or just closes on its own.

I have waited for this game since I started playing TW games back with the first Medieval. I would be pretty unhappy if I was never able to play this because the content delivery system is too finicky. Especially since I planned on buying the whole thing in its physical form on launch day, but apparently you still need Steam to verify that it's yours.

Maybe somebody from CA or SEGA would like to come out here and watch me purchase or install it personally, to make sure I didn't steal the damn thing? Not happy with this.

[Polemists]

Steam dll issue is covered in steam faq.


That said, to activate you just activate it, there is no download, it just checks your cd key. The same as if you had to register on a webpage. The check should only take a second or two.

[knoddy]

lol polemists, i can just see the droves of qq and rage threads at steam when the full version is released. go into any demo related thread atm, and at least 1/3 of the posters had trouble with the download or are still having issues with it. imagine when the game is released.

but i say CS and HL2 are good!!!!


roflmao

[Tellos Athenaios]

What he said, happened to me but the second time around it worked after being stuck on 30% for 2 hours

For me the 30% mark was when my Kaspersky let out a loud wail of horror as if something cute was being brutally murdered in front of its software-eye. Turned out to be a warning of "Generic Trojan" with the Steam app, reason: it had sneakily put itself in the Autostart category of programs -- no notification whatsoever -- 'whitelisting' Steam in the popup message fixed it and made the initial configuration of Steam resume without further errors.

[Polemists]

it had sneakily put itself in the Autostart category of programs -- no notification whatsoever --

Steam always does this, best to go in and take it out of your autostart category as soon as you install it.

[Lusitani]

Well...its good to see I am not the one with the same worries :P :smash:

V.