Steam Summer Sale 2016 / 2017
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I agree, most of the deals are not very good and I pretty much only bought what I listed above. I suspect that they did it because of the games that were refunded during the last sale to get better prices. But they clearly stated that it was OK with them, to do so.
I agree, most of the deals are not very good and I pretty much only bought what I listed above.

I suspect that they did it because of the games that were refunded during the last sale to get better prices. But they clearly stated that it was OK with them, to do so.

#16
Posted 06/25/2016 04:07 AM   
[quote="DJ-RK"]Seriously, what happened? I can't imagine that people are spending as much now as they did before, so although some people may be buying these games at these higher prices, the overall amount of revenue must have gone down, so you'd think that they'd see this downward trend and respond accordingly.[/quote] As it gets tight for the consumer, it get's tight for the producer also - because the producer must also consume. GTAV has kept it's price for a very long time, on all platforms. It's kind of an anomaly, which does not conform to patterns and shouldn't be used gauging trends. I would argue that GTAV is probably the only truly successful game of the last couple of years and that is because it has very broad appeal and a lot of content. The cost of production for AAA titles has become massive, so the content is decreasing to compensate. Gaming value, in terms of actual game to play, is decreasing. I love the Souls games but there has been a decrease in content over time. Dark Souls took me 60 hrs to play through first time, as did Souls 2 (but Souls 2 had much lower quality). BLoodbourne and Souls 3 have the quality back but the content has decreased - they are only around 30 hrs on the first play through. So, content is suffering due to increased production costs with AAA titles. This is not only the increased cost of the artistic assets but also the leaches that attach themselves to successful industry. Just like Hollywood, AAA game development has been over invested in and become a bit of a bubble (everything is, the global economy is in strife). The bottom line for a gamer is that AAA gaming content costs more. So, as the price of AAA gaming content has increased, Steam responds by trying to charge more for it. Rather than charge more up front, Steam is charging more for AAA content over time and AAA titles are not experiencing good sales prices. Last AAA game I paid full price for was Rise of the Tomb Raider and I was disappointed enough to avoid buying a AAA title at full price (for myself) since (I still but them on consoles for my offspring :D ). The game wasn't terrible, it was playable, I just felt entirely ripped off compared to previous Tomb Raider games.
DJ-RK said:Seriously, what happened? I can't imagine that people are spending as much now as they did before, so although some people may be buying these games at these higher prices, the overall amount of revenue must have gone down, so you'd think that they'd see this downward trend and respond accordingly.


As it gets tight for the consumer, it get's tight for the producer also - because the producer must also consume.

GTAV has kept it's price for a very long time, on all platforms. It's kind of an anomaly, which does not conform to patterns and shouldn't be used gauging trends. I would argue that GTAV is probably the only truly successful game of the last couple of years and that is because it has very broad appeal and a lot of content.

The cost of production for AAA titles has become massive, so the content is decreasing to compensate. Gaming value, in terms of actual game to play, is decreasing. I love the Souls games but there has been a decrease in content over time. Dark Souls took me 60 hrs to play through first time, as did Souls 2 (but Souls 2 had much lower quality). BLoodbourne and Souls 3 have the quality back but the content has decreased - they are only around 30 hrs on the first play through.

So, content is suffering due to increased production costs with AAA titles. This is not only the increased cost of the artistic assets but also the leaches that attach themselves to successful industry. Just like Hollywood, AAA game development has been over invested in and become a bit of a bubble (everything is, the global economy is in strife). The bottom line for a gamer is that AAA gaming content costs more.

So, as the price of AAA gaming content has increased, Steam responds by trying to charge more for it. Rather than charge more up front, Steam is charging more for AAA content over time and AAA titles are not experiencing good sales prices.

Last AAA game I paid full price for was Rise of the Tomb Raider and I was disappointed enough to avoid buying a AAA title at full price (for myself) since (I still but them on consoles for my offspring :D ). The game wasn't terrible, it was playable, I just felt entirely ripped off compared to previous Tomb Raider games.

#17
Posted 06/25/2016 04:33 AM   
To the Moon currently $1.99 http://store.steampowered.com/app/206440/ Steam Description... "A story-driven experience about two doctors traversing backwards through a dying man's memories to artificially fulfill his last wish." 21,767 Overwhelmingly positive revies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi2UZrnGXQo Great to add a "perfect game" to your Steam list, it only has 1 achievement and you get it upon completion of the game :)
To the Moon currently $1.99

http://store.steampowered.com/app/206440/

Steam Description...
"A story-driven experience about two doctors traversing backwards through a dying man's memories to artificially fulfill his last wish."

21,767 Overwhelmingly positive revies



Great to add a "perfect game" to your Steam list, it only has 1 achievement and you get it upon completion of the game :)

#18
Posted 06/25/2016 01:32 PM   
Agree with that To The Moon recommendation, great game.
Agree with that To The Moon recommendation, great game.

#19
Posted 06/25/2016 04:33 PM   
Since so many of our societies take advantage of surpluses of labor, paying low wages simply due to the fact that their workers have few other choices, instead of basign their wages on their measured daily contribution to product or service they are selling, I wonder if their numbers show that we've reached a tipping point where it is more profitable to hold the price high to cash in on the larger incomes of that portion of society, the rich parasites, instead of making it broadly available to the masses. It allways make me wonder if niche products like the Z800 would have been a success if we were more responsible/fair with our distribution of the fruits of everyone's labor. @ummester: Do you have any data to show that the costs of production have gotten higher? I keep hearing that game companies are treating artists like cattle, encouraging salaried pay to avoid overtime pay, while having everyone work a 44+ hour week.
Since so many of our societies take advantage of surpluses of labor, paying low wages simply due to the fact that their workers have few other choices, instead of basign their wages on their measured daily contribution to product or service they are selling, I wonder if their numbers show that we've reached a tipping point where it is more profitable to hold the price high to cash in on the larger incomes of that portion of society, the rich parasites, instead of making it broadly available to the masses.

It allways make me wonder if niche products like the Z800 would have been a success if we were more responsible/fair with our distribution of the fruits of everyone's labor.

@ummester: Do you have any data to show that the costs of production have gotten higher? I keep hearing that game companies are treating artists like cattle, encouraging salaried pay to avoid overtime pay, while having everyone work a 44+ hour week.

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#20
Posted 06/25/2016 06:03 PM   
It's like any successful industry, there is an explosion and then an implosion. Law of diminishing returns and what business says "ok, we just made what we want, let's stay stagnant". The industry will correct itself and the current over inflated published prices are marketed to squeeze every last drop from the orange so to speak. Before digital downloads, games would disappear and the publisher/developer would move on and call it a hit or a miss. The industry is maxing out and needs to go somewhere. With all the shovelware, it'll fall into a stagnant state and eventually revitalize when or if there is a new main stream technology, perhaps VR? It's gotta be new though because all this HD this HD that is not that compelling and really milking the cow to it's max. We've been spoiled in the past with an overwhelming amount of content at great prices. Steam is trying to change the Steam Sale consumer mindset or buying psychology of the past. Time will tell but for now, the pricing is not attractive and let's face it, how many games can one person have.....we need a new chapter in gaming.
It's like any successful industry, there is an explosion and then an implosion. Law of diminishing returns and what business says "ok, we just made what we want, let's stay stagnant". The industry will correct itself and the current over inflated published prices are marketed to squeeze every last drop from the orange so to speak. Before digital downloads, games would disappear and the publisher/developer would move on and call it a hit or a miss.

The industry is maxing out and needs to go somewhere. With all the shovelware, it'll fall into a stagnant state and eventually revitalize when or if there is a new main stream technology, perhaps VR? It's gotta be new though because all this HD this HD that is not that compelling and really milking the cow to it's max. We've been spoiled in the past with an overwhelming amount of content at great prices. Steam is trying to change the Steam Sale consumer mindset or buying psychology of the past. Time will tell but for now, the pricing is not attractive and let's face it, how many games can one person have.....we need a new chapter in gaming.

#21
Posted 06/25/2016 08:33 PM   
Just Cause 3 is on sale with good price for Season Pass. Game is fixed by DHR so it`s definitely good pick up. Also Metal Gear Solid V which is great deal for me. I was waiting for some nice price drop.
Just Cause 3 is on sale with good price for Season Pass. Game is fixed by DHR so it`s definitely good pick up.
Also Metal Gear Solid V which is great deal for me. I was waiting for some nice price drop.
[quote="Libertine"]@ummester: Do you have any data to show that the costs of production have gotten higher? I keep hearing that game companies are treating artists like cattle, encouraging salaried pay to avoid overtime pay, while having everyone work a 44+ hour week. [/quote] I don't have any data, no - but it's kind of obvious costs have increased a lot. I don't think devs and artists are getting that much more, either. Here is an article [url]http://kotaku.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-make-a-big-video-game-1501413649[/url] Marketing costs a lot and, unlike film production, is factored into the cost of game production. So at least games are a little more transparent in that regard.
Libertine said:@ummester: Do you have any data to show that the costs of production have gotten higher? I keep hearing that game companies are treating artists like cattle, encouraging salaried pay to avoid overtime pay, while having everyone work a 44+ hour week.


I don't have any data, no - but it's kind of obvious costs have increased a lot. I don't think devs and artists are getting that much more, either.

Here is an article

http://kotaku.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-make-a-big-video-game-1501413649

Marketing costs a lot and, unlike film production, is factored into the cost of game production. So at least games are a little more transparent in that regard.

#23
Posted 06/26/2016 02:36 AM   
Sales are crap, and have been that for 2-3 years. There have been several major changes, and Steam owners have tried to make them as subtle as possible but people start noticing more and more, they just can't put the finger on it. And I'm not talking about the lack of flash sales or mini games. These are obvious changes, but their debatable, not necessarily bad. 1. A decrease of the discount percentage. 75-80 % off is nowadays a very rare occurrence, only for games that don't sell well or had a bad PR incident like Arkham Knight 2. A "freeze" of the base non-discounted price. There used to be a constant deprecation of base price over time. Nowadays I've seen cases where some games like Darksiders were still listed with a base price of 39.99 as if on release day. So even if they slap a 75% discount to some games, they still cost a lot even if they came out 5 yeast ago. 3. "Tailoring" of a discount percentage to make a game cost what their "psychological/behaviouristic commence" department thinks they can get away with. Especially useful for them due to currency differences. I've bought the STALKER games for like 2 eur years ago (low base price + 75% discount). Nowadays, no matter how old or cheap a game is, they tailor the percentage to make it cost 4.99 eur (which is a "shitload" of money for some games, if you compare it to the situation in US). For example, in 2011 I see a transaction in my account history of 2.49 eur for Stalker. Well, in today's bigshot Summer steam sales, this 2007 game costs 6.39 eur!!! (base price 15.99 + 60% discount) I could go on, but it'd get boring. I don't have any solid data on customer habit changing, people buying more games etc. I know just what I do, which is: since last year I've been using alternate websites such as Gamesplanet to buy games. And that's another shocker for me: Steam getting worse while under heavy pressure from alternate outlets. You'd think they would try to get better, not being complacent. But in the end, they will get away with anything that we allow. And it looks like we allow pretty much. Think about it, young people starting with Steam today have no clue that they're being ripped. lack of perspective. And that happens with all the industries today. Counting on youngsters with no idea, to embrace their prices and practices since they cannot know it was better at some point. Rant aside, for what is worth, Just Cause 3 can be had for 63% off instead of 50% off, if bought as part of the duo pack bundle with ROTTR. I already have ROTTR so I can get Just Cause 3 for 18.74 eur instead of 24.99 eur. What an awesome deal!
Sales are crap, and have been that for 2-3 years. There have been several major changes, and Steam owners have tried to make them as subtle as possible but people start noticing more and more, they just can't put the finger on it. And I'm not talking about the lack of flash sales or mini games. These are obvious changes, but their debatable, not necessarily bad.

1. A decrease of the discount percentage. 75-80 % off is nowadays a very rare occurrence, only for games that don't sell well or had a bad PR incident like Arkham Knight
2. A "freeze" of the base non-discounted price. There used to be a constant deprecation of base price over time. Nowadays I've seen cases where some games like Darksiders were still listed with a base price of 39.99 as if on release day. So even if they slap a 75% discount to some games, they still cost a lot even if they came out 5 yeast ago.
3. "Tailoring" of a discount percentage to make a game cost what their "psychological/behaviouristic commence" department thinks they can get away with. Especially useful for them due to currency differences. I've bought the STALKER games for like 2 eur years ago (low base price + 75% discount). Nowadays, no matter how old or cheap a game is, they tailor the percentage to make it cost 4.99 eur (which is a "shitload" of money for some games, if you compare it to the situation in US). For example, in 2011 I see a transaction in my account history of 2.49 eur for Stalker. Well, in today's bigshot Summer steam sales, this 2007 game costs 6.39 eur!!! (base price 15.99 + 60% discount)

I could go on, but it'd get boring.

I don't have any solid data on customer habit changing, people buying more games etc. I know just what I do, which is: since last year I've been using alternate websites such as Gamesplanet to buy games.
And that's another shocker for me: Steam getting worse while under heavy pressure from alternate outlets. You'd think they would try to get better, not being complacent.
But in the end, they will get away with anything that we allow. And it looks like we allow pretty much.
Think about it, young people starting with Steam today have no clue that they're being ripped. lack of perspective.
And that happens with all the industries today. Counting on youngsters with no idea, to embrace their prices and practices since they cannot know it was better at some point.

Rant aside, for what is worth, Just Cause 3 can be had for 63% off instead of 50% off, if bought as part of the duo pack bundle with ROTTR. I already have ROTTR so I can get Just Cause 3 for 18.74 eur instead of 24.99 eur. What an awesome deal!

#24
Posted 06/26/2016 10:09 AM   
I have brought very little so far but then again it's mainly cause everything I would be interested in seems to already have the "in library" label on it. =x
I have brought very little so far but then again it's mainly cause everything I would be interested in seems to already have the "in library" label on it. =x

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#25
Posted 06/26/2016 11:53 AM   
"Let's Sing" from 2014 http://store.steampowered.com/app/268260/ Steam Description "Let’s Sing: The Karaoke for PC. Let’s Sing PC is your chance to bring out your inner-star and pose as Lady Gaga, Maroon 5, Lana Del Rey, Flo Rida, Bruno Mars, Avril Lavigne, LMFAO and many others…Pump up the volume and party in your living-room with friends and family!" This game has perfect 3D with the exception that the video inserts are 2D, see screenshots below. Great game for the kids or messing around. "Let's Sing 2016" http://store.steampowered.com/app/397820 This game is disappointing, not only because the 3D is messed up, but the UI is bland. Both games have an odd mix of songs, but hey, it's karaoke. Unfortunately, there isn't any DLC. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE6TAIhADog
"Let's Sing" from 2014


http://store.steampowered.com/app/268260/


Steam Description
"Let’s Sing: The Karaoke for PC. Let’s Sing PC is your chance to bring out your inner-star and pose as Lady Gaga, Maroon 5, Lana Del Rey, Flo Rida, Bruno Mars, Avril Lavigne, LMFAO and many others…Pump up the volume and party in your living-room with friends and family!"

This game has perfect 3D with the exception that the video inserts are 2D, see screenshots below. Great game for the kids or messing around.


"Let's Sing 2016"


http://store.steampowered.com/app/397820


This game is disappointing, not only because the 3D is messed up, but the UI is bland.


Both games have an odd mix of songs, but hey, it's karaoke. Unfortunately, there isn't any DLC.

#26
Posted 06/26/2016 04:49 PM   
[quote="ummester"] I don't have any data, no - but it's kind of obvious costs have increased a lot.[/quote] Its not obvious to me, you mean, just the general result of increased demand of all things game dev related resulting from the up-swing in game development over the last decades? Their costs would increase, but so would their profits? The high surplus of artists and animators will likely have kept their costs down. Motion capture has just about made the animation careers extinct. Trust me, i have an animation demo reel and never even bothered applying anywhere. I checked all my sources many years ago and found 3 animation jobs at my beginner level, on the entire planet, none of which quite fit either. Game art and animation courses are churning out tons of competition, likely driving down wages or keeping them steady, while advances in game dev efficiency, from programs like Quixel for example (link below) should have a significant effect on things i would guess. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyJJAp17K-Y
ummester said:

I don't have any data, no - but it's kind of obvious costs have increased a lot.


Its not obvious to me, you mean, just the general result of increased demand of all things game dev related resulting from the up-swing in game development over the last decades? Their costs would increase, but so would their profits? The high surplus of artists and animators will likely have kept their costs down. Motion capture has just about made the animation careers extinct. Trust me, i have an animation demo reel and never even bothered applying anywhere. I checked all my sources many years ago and found 3 animation jobs at my beginner level, on the entire planet, none of which quite fit either. Game art and animation courses are churning out tons of competition, likely driving down wages or keeping them steady, while advances in game dev efficiency, from programs like Quixel for example (link below) should have a significant effect on things i would guess.

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#27
Posted 06/26/2016 06:34 PM   
Subject 13 added to World of Warcraft profile. Reviews are mixed. http://store.steampowered.com/app/322970/
Subject 13 added to World of Warcraft profile. Reviews are mixed.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/322970/
Attachments

Subject1301_50.jps

#28
Posted 06/26/2016 06:35 PM   
[quote="Libertine"][quote="ummester"] I don't have any data, no - but it's kind of obvious costs have increased a lot.[/quote] Its not obvious to me, you mean, just the general result of increased demand of all things game dev related resulting from the up-swing in game development over the last decades? Their costs would increase, but so would their profits? The high surplus of artists and animators will likely have kept their costs down. Motion capture has just about made the animation careers extinct. Trust me, i have an animation demo reel and never even bothered applying anywhere. I checked all my sources many years ago and found 3 animation jobs at my beginner level, on the entire planet, none of which quite fit either. Game art and animation courses are churning out tons of competition, likely driving down wages or keeping them steady, while advances in game dev efficiency, from programs like Quixel for example (link below) should have a significant effect on things i would guess. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyJJAp17K-Y [/quote] I didn't mean costs of labour/work involved with making the game - I meant costs with marketing, investment and so on. I did a game development/graphics course about 15 years ago myself and even then the artists and base programmers were paid pittance (it's why I never got into it - I was already too old and a parent - to accept going back to the start of a wage ladder). At least then, however, the studio heads had some control and ripped the new guys off themselves - at least there was somewhere to go in the industry if you were young and stuck to it. Now, it's all publishing, marketing and investment - creative decisions are totally crippled by financial and the publisher and investors get any profit.
Libertine said:
ummester said:

I don't have any data, no - but it's kind of obvious costs have increased a lot.


Its not obvious to me, you mean, just the general result of increased demand of all things game dev related resulting from the up-swing in game development over the last decades? Their costs would increase, but so would their profits? The high surplus of artists and animators will likely have kept their costs down. Motion capture has just about made the animation careers extinct. Trust me, i have an animation demo reel and never even bothered applying anywhere. I checked all my sources many years ago and found 3 animation jobs at my beginner level, on the entire planet, none of which quite fit either. Game art and animation courses are churning out tons of competition, likely driving down wages or keeping them steady, while advances in game dev efficiency, from programs like Quixel for example (link below) should have a significant effect on things i would guess.





I didn't mean costs of labour/work involved with making the game - I meant costs with marketing, investment and so on.

I did a game development/graphics course about 15 years ago myself and even then the artists and base programmers were paid pittance (it's why I never got into it - I was already too old and a parent - to accept going back to the start of a wage ladder). At least then, however, the studio heads had some control and ripped the new guys off themselves - at least there was somewhere to go in the industry if you were young and stuck to it. Now, it's all publishing, marketing and investment - creative decisions are totally crippled by financial and the publisher and investors get any profit.

#29
Posted 06/26/2016 11:01 PM   
[quote="D-Man11"]Subject 13 added to World of Warcraft profile. Reviews are mixed. http://store.steampowered.com/app/322970/[/quote] This is in a bundle also [url]https://www.indiegala.com/anuman[/url] with a few other that looked promising if they could be played/fixed in 3D, Darkstone, Garfield Racing, etc... I grabbed it last week but haven't had time to try any of them.
D-Man11 said:Subject 13 added to World of Warcraft profile. Reviews are mixed.


http://store.steampowered.com/app/322970/
This is in a bundle also https://www.indiegala.com/anuman with a few other that looked promising if they could be played/fixed in 3D, Darkstone, Garfield Racing, etc... I grabbed it last week but haven't had time to try any of them.
#30
Posted 06/27/2016 04:08 PM   
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