What benefits are there to play the Steam version?

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It's 2014... If you're a PC gamer and you're NOT using Steam, you're doing it wrong.

http://www.issteamdown.com/

http://www.isitdownrightnow.com/steamcommunity.com.html (comments)

I'm guessing the only benefit from using Steam to play PoE if you are a Steam user to begin with is having your achievements visible on Steam, but that's mostly for completionists and people with OCD or who like showing off to their friends.
That and, if your other friends playing PoE are on Steam aswell, you can add them to your friendslist on Steam and keep contact with them without loading the game (the loadtime is abit high even with a SSD), so this is something I could see as a kind of benefit (like in WoW I can see who's online and who's not on the client without even opening the game, altho I prefer to use Skype as my outside of the game extension for a friends list in that case).
Oh and if you are a Steam user who often adds funds to their wallet, as you use that to purchase points trough Steam.
Then there's the collectiblecards you get when you purchase points but I havn't really figured out what the general purpose of those is in the first place (I mostly use Steam beacause a few games I play require it and it's how I found PoE in the first place).

Drawback is that if you have games on Steam that require updates, I've tried making Steam realize I DONT WANT TO UPDATE THEM RANDOMLY WHEN IM DOING OTHER STUFF and I've had a few funky random latencyspikes here and there because Steam starts updating some random game while I'm playing PoE and on HC it's not really optimal.

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Munkeeh wrote:

Drawback is that if you have games on Steam that require updates, I've tried making Steam realize I DONT WANT TO UPDATE THEM RANDOMLY WHEN IM DOING OTHER STUFF and I've had a few funky random latencyspikes here and there because Steam starts updating some random game while I'm playing PoE and on HC it's not really optimal.

Steam doesn't update games when you're running a game through it.

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Nicholas_Steel wrote:

To clarify, this doesn't affect me personally. My friend switched from the regular client to the Steam one because he considered it more convenient at the time. However after various disconnects that he encountered that I did not (While we were partied) he's given up on it and has switched back to the regular client.

How do you switch back? Just redownload and install from the site then log in? I assumed you couldn't do that, because it makes a big deal of asking you to link your steam account when you use the steam version.

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MonstaMunch wrote:

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Munkeeh wrote:

Drawback is that if you have games on Steam that require updates, I've tried making Steam realize I DONT WANT TO UPDATE THEM RANDOMLY WHEN IM DOING OTHER STUFF and I've had a few funky random latencyspikes here and there because Steam starts updating some random game while I'm playing PoE and on HC it's not really optimal.

Steam doesn't update games when you're running a game through it.

There's actually a setting they put in a lil ways back, cause most people did a kinda a workaround to download games while Steam was running, by pausing their DL, starting a game, then tabbing out to Steam and Resuming the download...

Now you can download updates/games while another game is running.

Possibly the first guy has that turned on... Although I think the default is that Steam will not Download/Update games if another game is running.

Personally the only time I turn on that option is if I'm running an "Offline" game such as Terarria or Starbound.

In case you're wondering where you can find that option...

Steam > Settings > Downloads - At the bottom "Allow Downloads During Gameplay"

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StinkFinger wrote:

"Offline" game such as Terarria or Starbound

Waitwut? You play Terraria and Starbound offline? You're doing it wrong bro.

So you asked why steam or not.

Steam is nearly the Only viable Option for a EU Player, when he wanna spend some Money into this Game.

Its not Common for us EU ppl to have a Credit Card like in America. So we cant pay the Amount we wanna buy, easy.

To be clear, to get a Credit Card in EU is way more Painfull and not so good like in America, we have here a different System.

GGG, fails Badly hard, to give us EU Player a Real Choice to pay over there site with other Money then Dollars.


Im from Germany, so why in the Hell, i whant Change my Euro to Dollars in the first Place and THEN buy the things i desire from GGG?

Its complicated as fuck for us.

Steam makes it Simple. You can Charge the Money how ever you like, with your Bankaccount or Paypal or Paysafe or what ever. And Just a Simple Click on a Item/Supporter Pack, and you can pay it in your own Country Currency.
Sure its not so cheap like i pay it directly on GGG Site.

But again, GGG didnt Support us EU ppl with better Payment Options.
So the only easy avaible way is Steam. Sad, but thats how it is.


PS: I think many more EU ppl are willed to pay more/buy more, when its not so damn complicated for us. I personally will. But i dont whant atm buy more, because i pay GGG and Steam for my Items.


Light

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MonstaMunch wrote:

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Munkeeh wrote:

Drawback is that if you have games on Steam that require updates, I've tried making Steam realize I DONT WANT TO UPDATE THEM RANDOMLY WHEN IM DOING OTHER STUFF and I've had a few funky random latencyspikes here and there because Steam starts updating some random game while I'm playing PoE and on HC it's not really optimal.

Steam doesn't update games when you're running a game through it.

Had the problem with my previous install despite having ticked that box out and in and then out again. This install it hasn't come up, I thought it was a "feature", thus mentioning it.

I know it's not supposed to do that. I have a tendency of having things break. Broke Windows Update in this install -.- That I managed to fix within the install tho.

I was really tired when I wrote that and now that I think of it I havn't had that many problems with Steam after I reinstalled everything so posted that from what I remember happened on a few occasions earlier. No really I have no idea what it was doing or why. PLEASE BELIEVE ME :(

You can get this item, apparently a trade card or something from steam, microtransaction... Bastards, how could they do it to us nonsteamers! :)

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Crackmonster wrote:

You can get this item, apparently a trade card or something from steam, microtransaction... Bastards, how could they do it to us nonsteamers! :)

Think that was a limited time offer wasn't it?

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Lightshard wrote:

But again, GGG didnt Support us EU ppl with better Payment Options.
So the only easy avaible way is Steam. Sad, but thats how it is.

I just paid via paypal without a credit card a while ago - where is the problem?