Steam Great Gift Pile Swaps and Giveaways.

For anybody that hasn't seen it yet, Steam are offering gifts over the Steam Holiday sale period. You can win games, vouchers or coal (seven of which can be lumped together to get another gift).

You can get at least three gifts without even bothering to play a game, but most are won by gaining achievements in specific game. I have won a copy of Machinarium, a 50% off a Valve title voucher and a lump of coal, and that's without even trying any of the achievements. There's a lot of whinging that the vouchers are worthless as the games are all on sale presently for less than the price after the voucher deduction (vouchers can only be used after the Holiday Sale), but then there are a lot of people in the world who seem to expect something for nothing.

Anyhoo, I thought we could use this to swap things with other orgahs, some people might want a piece of coal to make seven, or other might win games they already have.

Speaking of which, I already have Machinarium, so let me know it you want it, first come first served.

I won a copy of Gemini Rue, even though I never really wanted it, and I accidentally clicked on it in my steam inventory, so I am stuck with it now.

I think of this thread first if I get something I already have (again) or don't want.

I agree about looking a gift horse in the mouth when it comes to whining about coupons, but when I get 7 coal I better not get a coupon.

I've got 3 coal and a -33% off Valve games coupon. The coupon is only valid after the sale ends and excludes any games released after 2/1/12. If someone can actually make use of it, let me know.

Gah, that Spiral Knights game is horrible. Three tries to get the map for the achievement and no luck, I'm not grinding anymore to get tries at it. I'd probably have won some coal... Hopefully there'll be achievements for games I actually own soon, so far only Psychonauts.

edit: Seems I was wrong, time to find out what Defense Grid: The Awakening is like, sounds like a tough achievement to earn though.

I am a coal goblin. \o/

i entered but dont think it has no objectives for shogun 2 though


ps Changed my name :D

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Originally Posted by Tashio takeda shingin

i entered but dont think it has no objectives for shogun 2 though

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It adds new achievements daily, there might a Shogun 2 objective before it ends.

Completed two achievements, 2 coal. Yay!

After 5 lumps of coal and that Valve voucher I won a game! A fairly expensive one too. Farming simulator 2011. Anyone?

This is a nice bonus on games which you already own but the people buying games specifically to get chances at the great gift pile must be insane.

Ha ha, who's going to publicly admit to wanting to drive a virtual combine harvester? Froggy is probably inundated with pms! :tongue:

A lot of the games with the achievements are relatively cheap, most under a fiver and quite a few under £2. It's a pretty good idea in that it gets people to actually install and play games that they may have had for ages without downloading, like I did with Psychonauts and Defence Grid. Then uninstall them after they get the achievement...

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Originally Posted by johnhughthom

Ha ha, who's going to publicly admit to wanting to drive a virtual combine harvester? Froggy is probably inundated with pms! :tongue:

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Oddly enough, I saw a bunch of people expressing interest in this series of sims over on 2 other hardcore gaming forums. I couldn't believe my eyes and had to re-read it a few times to see if my sarcasm detector had broken. Nope. Turns out there is a subsect of hardcore gamer who wants to play street cleaning simulator, garbage truck simulator, and that lot. Winning that copy of farming sim is like some big karmic finger pointing at me and going "And you thought it was a joke!" :laugh4:

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A lot of the games with the achievements are relatively cheap, most under a fiver and quite a few under £2.

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If it's a game you are interested in anyway then it's fine, the achievement is just an added bonus. If you are not interested in the game you're throwing money away; by the time you've purchased a couple of cheap games for the achievements you could probably buy that copy of Portal 2 or whatever. While there are some good games on the reported prize list the chances of getting one are tiny.

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It's a pretty good idea in that it gets people to actually install and play games that they may have had for ages without downloading, like I did with Psychonauts and Defence Grid. Then uninstall them after they get the achievement...

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You publicly admit to uninstalling Psychonauts? :stare:

I've been revisiting games too. Just got Psychonauts left and then I've done all of the ones I can until the next set get revealed. I don't normally bother about steam achievements, with the exception of using them to track my campaign victories in Civ 5 and Shogun 2.

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Originally Posted by frogbeastegg

I've been revisiting games too. Just got Psychonauts left and then I've done all of the ones I can until the next set get revealed. I don't normally bother about steam achievements, with the exception of using them to track my campaign victories in Civ 5 and Shogun 2.

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Psychonauts is a good game, it's just that I don't have the time to play it with my workload and other, more important games (read: Dungeons of Dredmor). So I just looked on the wiki and downloaded a saved game. :)

I got a voucher for my Psychonauts efforts. For a game I already own. If anyone wants 50% off Recettear let me know. It's a good game.

That's me done until they put up a new list. Today's set are all on games I don't own and the freebie is for a multiplayer game.

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Originally Posted by Kekvit Irae

Psychonauts is a good game, it's just that I don't have the time to play it with my workload and other, more important games (read: Dungeons of Dredmor). So I just looked on the wiki and downloaded a saved game. :)

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I thought "It's the first power you get after you complete the tutorial. It'll take 30 minutes max." Heh, it's been years since I last played the game. An hour and a quarter later and I consulted a FAQ to see how much further I had to go before I got the necessary power. Then I downloaded the save and did it that way as it looked like at least another hour of play. Two or three hours is too much time for a playthrough I know I will abandon since I have my hands full with other games. Thanks for the link.

The achievements are irritatingly hard compared to the summer special.

I've had Space Marine for months and I've never won game of Exterminatus. The Chaos round is impossible.

OMG @ the Toki Tori one. Screw this.

and what do you know...got 7 coal, crafted it, and got a worthless garbage -10% id coupon

I'm displeased.

Sorry, but I had to chuckle at that one. Not only a voucher, one of the lesser vouchers! :laugh4:

I have few games.

So far: 1 coal, 1 50% off Cliffs of Dover, and 1 50% off Valve.

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Originally Posted by Montmorency

I have few games.

So far: 1 coal, 1 50% off Cliffs of Dover, and 1 50% off Valve.

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I'll trade you all my coupons for your Cliffs of Dover coupon.

-33 valve, -25 valve, -50 kane and lynch dog days, -10 id

I don't want any of these, so I'll just give it to you. Let us transact with little delay.

I'll go ahead and take Machinarium, looks interesting. My steam name is D3ATHXVXW1SH thanks :D

Crafted 7 pieces of coal aaaaaand... 50% off Patrician IV. It's like Steam knows exactly what I want!
[/sarcasm]

Who wants to trade something for an E.Y.E. or Audiosurf ?

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Originally Posted by LeftEyeNine

Who wants to trade something for an E.Y.E. or Audiosurf ?

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EYE sounds kind of interesting if overly-ambitious and buggy.

Do you know both of those games have achievements which give you a chance at another spectacular(!) prize?

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Originally Posted by frogbeastegg

EYE sounds kind of interesting if overly-ambitious and buggy.

Do you know both of those games have achievements which give you a chance at another spectacular(!) prize?

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Would you like one, missus ? If so, please deliver your Steam ID.

If there's no one with a keener interest in EYE I wouldn't mind indulging my curiosity, if you don't want the game yourself. Thank you. :bow:

I actually have E.Y.E Divine Cybermancy installed on my PC. But I haven't played it for more than 5 minutes up till now, due to there being so many other...'simpler' games on my PC. Plus I haven't found any walkthrough/guide to help me as yet.
TBH it's one of those games which I'd like to play but can't make the effort of playing....kind of like Europa Universalis III.


Edit:

@frogbeastegg

Just for the record, IMO Audiosurf is more fun than EYE. I've been riding my music for months now.

I've now got 50% off Sam and Max complete pack and 50% off AI War vouchers. You know, in case I decide I don't want them at 80% off and then change my mind ... forgetting that I already own the latter and can't stand the Telltale version of former.

Has anyone managed to get anything good? Or halfway decent?

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Originally Posted by rajpoot

Just for the record, IMO Audiosurf is more fun than EYE. I've been riding my music for months now.

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The videos don't make it look very interesting. According to them you shift left and right to hit some coloured squares while coasting along a linear track. Maybe they are not very representative?

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Originally Posted by frogbeastegg

The videos don't make it look very interesting. According to them you shift left and right to hit some coloured squares while coasting along a linear track. Maybe they are not very representative?

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That's the gist of it. The track itself is generated according to the beats of the song, it's intensity etc. The blocks are generated according to the notes.
But it's not so much as a game as a...well....a very fun, interactive visualisation.

Steam has a demo I think. Some limited number songs or something before it locks.

Demo on Fileplanet.

When you try it out, I suggest do it on some intense kind of music. Heavy with beats.....Like Hypnotize from SOAD.

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Originally Posted by Kekvit Irae

Crafted 7 pieces of coal aaaaaand... 50% off Patrician IV. It's like Steam knows exactly what I want!
[/sarcasm]

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Why would you want to craft coal though, since every piece of coal allows you into a grand entry where you win every single game and DLC on Steam.

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Originally Posted by Tiaexz

Why would you want to craft coal though, since every piece of coal allows you into a grand entry where you win every single game and DLC on Steam.

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Because there are many people out there using multiple accounts to get hundreds of lumps of coal, the chances of winning are remote when you consider how many Steam accounts there are out there. It's down to whether you want a reasonable chance of winning something small, or an infinitesimal chance of winning a complete Steam collection, most of which will be junk you'd never play in a million years. I struggled to put together ten things for my Steam wishlist...

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Originally Posted by johnhughthom

Because there are many people out there using multiple accounts to get hundreds of lumps of coal, the chances of winning are remote when you consider how many Steam accounts there are out there. It's down to whether you want a reasonable chance of winning something small, or an infinitesimal chance of winning a complete Steam collection, most of which will be junk you'd never play in a million years. I struggled to put together ten things for my Steam wishlist...

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^ This.

Same, but there isn't anything I want "money off" on either. Whilst there are titles I wouldn't mind having on Steam but won't pay for. (Such as Skyrim to play mods, but I own it on Xbox, so see no point in paying twice, so I choose to go without)

Oh goodie. 7 coal for 50% off Wings of Prey.

https://i42.tinypic.com/14niedu.png

I got. Lead and Gold (crap game). 7 coal = -10% 2K games (worthless). -50% Section 8: Prejudice (WHAT IS THIS?!?!). -25% Atari..... and 5 coal.

Thanks Valve....

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Originally Posted by Psychonaut

-50% Section 8: Prejudice

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Wow, that's actually a pretty good game.

And now I have a 50% off voucher for Dawn of War II: Retribution. Not a bad gift, but I already own the DoWII series.

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Originally Posted by johnhughthom

Ha ha, who's going to publicly admit to wanting to drive a virtual combine harvester? Froggy is probably inundated with pms! :tongue:

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I own that game. Sometimes the staff discount at work combined with a rather surreal sense of humour demands these purchases of me!

Seriously though Farming Simulator is immensely difficult and a thoroughly unique concept for those who have the patience.

I'll join the crafting coal is awesome gang, 25% off Bethesda game!

Yes, I own all the Elders Scrolls and Fallout titles, plus DLC, on Steam already.

Since I discovered the circle of steam* I've only been able to complete a couple of achievements, since they keep putting them on games I don't have or don't want. Those achievements have given me nothing but coal. Ho hum. The Shogun II achievement will be my 14th.


*AI War achievement -> 7th piece of coal -> 7 coal crafted -> AI War voucher. :dizzy2:

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Originally Posted by frogbeastegg

*AI War achievement -> 7th piece of coal -> 7 coal crafted -> AI War voucher. :dizzy2:

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I'll one up you.
Get Gemini Rue from gift pile > Redeem Gemini Rue despite not wanting it > Get 50% off voucher for Gemini Rue.

https://i42.tinypic.com/14niedu.png


Running total in my inventory is now -33% Valve, -10% Valve, -50% Wings of Prey, -50% Gemini Rue, -50% DoWII: Retribution. And three coal.

I got Patrician IV with my crafting, which was better than I was expecting as it is a game I would like to try out some time. I also have -50% on Machinarium and -50% on Valve.

If anyone wants either let me know.

-50% off Valve and -50% off Robo Blitz. Anyone want to trade?

Looking to see what the rest of the achievements bring and I'm hoping my pieces of coal will bring me something useful.

Is that offer of a copy of audiosurf still standing? Since I'm interested.

I now have: -33% valve, -40% The Witcher 2, -50% Warhammer 40.000: Dawn of War II Retribution, -50% Rush, -50% Metro 2033 and 1 coal.

Additionally I received a version of Thief: Deadly Shadows which I already redeemed.

Regrets...

Shogun II just rewarded me for nearly 200 hours of play with ... a lump of coal.

That brings my total to 14 completed achievements and 4 coal, 33% off Valve, 50% off Recettear, 50% off AI War, 50% off Sam & Max complete, and the full game Farm Simulator 2011.

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Originally Posted by CountArach

I got Patrician IV with my crafting, which was better than I was expecting as it is a game I would like to try out some time.

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Burn the witch! His foul magics are influencing the system so that he gets games he wants!

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Originally Posted by Kekvit Irae

I'll one up you.
Get Gemini Rue from gift pile > Redeem Gemini Rue despite not wanting it > Get 50% off voucher for Gemini Rue.

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Alright, you win the voucher war. I think Farm Sim wins the thread, despite CountArach's positive review.

I got -50% off Shadowgrounds pack, which I wish to also trade.

Add to that a -50% off Rockstar if anyone is interested.

Is the current set of deals (Deus Ex: HR etc) the final one, or is there one more day's worth to come? I can never wrap my head around where Valve is in relation to my time zone ...

One more set.

Is anyone interested in coal? I currently have 5 and I'm not going to make it up to 7 for another fabulous voucher. You can have them for nothing - provided you aren't registering here in order to claim them. Or, if you want to send me something in return, ask me which EUIII sprite packs I don't own and then gift one to me. They're currently 63p each and are the cheapest thing I'm interested in.

Froggy, I'd love them!

I have 2 pieces of coal and with 5 more I can craft an extra gift.

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Originally Posted by edyzmedieval

Froggy, I'd love them!

I have 2 pieces of coal and with 5 more I can craft an extra gift.

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Ok. PM me the details and I'll see if I can figure out how to send them.

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Originally Posted by Gelatinous Cube

I'd play Farm Simulator 2011.

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You must promise to tell us what you think of it. As per above: PM me the account name and I'll see what I can do.

Done. Thank you milady Frog. :bow:

When I sent the coal to Edyz I got the achievement for trading on steam. I'd forgotten about that. I won a copy of Half Life 2: Episode One. Anyone want it? Source engine games make me motion sick, and I'm not interested in the HL series anyway.

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Originally Posted by frogbeastegg

When I sent the coal to Edyz I got the achievement for trading on steam. I'd forgotten about that. I won a copy of Half Life 2: Episode One. Anyone want it? Source engine games make me motion sick, and I'm not interested in the HL series anyway.

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I know you're not interested in HL series, but you can fix the motion sickness problem.

Change the field of view to 90 (It's 75 now).

Played Horde a bit, got the Christmas achievement. And finally got something good out of it: Portal 2, the full game. Too bad I already have it.

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Originally Posted by Kekvit Irae

Played Horde a bit, got the Christmas achievement. And finally got something good out of it: Portal 2, the full game. Too bad I already have it.

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Trade you for it, Kekvit?

It's news which has spread everywhere, but for those of you who haven't already heard: don't bother crafting your coal unless you like Valve stuff. They've run out of everything else.

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Originally Posted by Drunk Clown

I know you're not interested in HL series, but you can fix the motion sickness problem.

Change the field of view to 90 (It's 75 now).

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Ah! If that works I might finally be able to finish Vampire: Bloodlines and a few others! I presume it's an .ini file edit?



EDIT: You will be delighted to know that the copy of Farm Sim 2011 is still available! Mr Cube was less than serious in his offer. Don't all rush forward at once.

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Originally Posted by frogbeastegg

It's news which has spread everywhere, but for those of you who haven't already heard: don't bother crafting your coal unless you like Valve stuff. They've run out of everything else.

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I've loved reading the threads whining about the giveaway, so many people out there who think they deserve freebies for no particular reason and cry when they don't get them. The Steam forums are generally hilarious though, today there was a thread about having a donate to charity button when buying games, some guy seemed to think he should be eligible to receive gifts through such a scheme, not because he's ill or poor, but because his parents won't let him have a debit/credit card so he has no means to buy without their approval...

It was froggy's own fault for thinking a Gelatinous Cube would not be wobbly in his commitment to such an offer....

I think I'll follow Mr Cube.

:creep:

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Originally Posted by frogbeastegg

Ah! If that works I might finally be able to finish Vampire: Bloodlines and a few others! I presume it's an .ini file edit?

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Well, I don't know about that. Sorry.

Both Half-Life and Skyrim gave me motion sickness. To solve this I tried to change it in game files, but it never worked (which supposedly should work according to some forums). In both games I could change it with the console (~). In Half-Life 2 you use "sv_cheats 1;fov 90" and in Skyrim just "fov 90" (without ").

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Originally Posted by frogbeastegg

Ah! If that works I might finally be able to finish Vampire: Bloodlines and a few others! I presume it's an .ini file edit?

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http://forums.steampowered.com/forum...t-2220451.html

http://widescreengamingforum.com/dr/...ade-bloodlines

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Originally Posted by Kekvit Irae

Wow, that's actually a pretty good game.

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Wow. That actually looks decent.

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Originally Posted by Gelatinous Cube

This thread has introduced me to the cynical brit. For that I am eternally grateful.

:bow:

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You're welcome. His WTF Is... videos are great, and he's also a professional shoutcaster if you're into StarCraft 2.

Thanks for posting that fix. It helps, even if it doesn't entirely banish the queasiness in Vampire and Dark Messiah. Playing for 30 minutes before I feel ill is a lot better than the previous 5-10. There's something which feels off about the movement and physics in the earlier Source games and I think that's half of the problem. I'm not interested enough in my other old Source games to dig them out for testing.

Engine iterations have helped considerably. Portal 1 only made me mildly queasy and Portal 2 didn't cause any problems.