Looking for Opinions - Steam Version or NO

[+Geary 1,877]

Before I plop down more money on airplanes than most games cost, I was wondering if it's better to buy the DSC: Official Site planes that are NOT Steam compatible or buy those that are?

 

Any opinions with reason are appreciated.

 

[PFunk 198]

Steam versions have the advantage of being automatically updated.  The updates don't happen as fast with Steam because they have to go through a longer route, but you know the updates will have gone through QA and won't break your install.

[+Geary 1,877]

I like the idea of Steam being automatically updated and keeping track of my games for me but what concerns me is that, 1 - The planes I want for DCS, WWII and Korean War era, don't seem to be available on Steam (unless I just can't find them) and 2 - The same planes I want at the DCS site are Steam incompatible.

 

 

So, there's my quandary.

[PFunk 198]

That's another thing, stuff offered on ED's store doesn't have to go through Steam's QA testing, so it happens a lot faster there.

[+Geary 1,877]

I might be able to do both.

 

I have boxed sets of Lock-On Modern Combat; Lock-on Gold; Lock-On Platinum; Lock-On Flaming Cliffs 3; A-10 Warthog; DCS Blackshark.

 

I also have some DLC on my server for the Lock-On series.  Don't remember what most of it is.

 

So, I wonder if I load these on my computer and crank up Steam and load Steam's DCS World if it will recognize my old boxed version games and incorporate them into the Steam DCS World?

 

Then I can get the WWII and Korean War era planes from ED's site and play them separately off Steam.

 

Guess I won't know unless I try.  Or I can ask at Steam before I go through all the loading, etc.

[JediMaster 451]

No, AFAIK the Steam install and an ED install won't mix. While the license keys in some cases are portable, it's really best to pick one method and stick with it.

 

I've stuck with ED, despite the slower overall DL speed, for various reasons.

One, ED gets 100% of that and doesn't share with Valve like Steam sales require. While I don't enjoy paying more for something, if prices are equal (and they usually are) I prefer ED getting it all given how much less than Valve they have.

Two, if you ever are interested in an alpha or beta (such as the Viggen or NTTR terrain), Steam is out of the running and you must use ED.

[+streakeagle 864]

The advantage of purchasing on Steam is that the license will work either way. But I prefer getting stuff sooner rather than later and never imported my ED keys into Steam when that was still permitted. So I don't use Steam for DCS World at all.

 

For many games, the advantage of Steam is the portability of licenses: i.e. install a game as many times as you want on as many PCs as you want, but you can only play on one PC at a time. DCS World does not get that advantage. The Steam version has Steam licensing AND ED licensing which means suffering the worst of both worlds. That is why I never imported my ED keys into Steam -- a total waste of time for me.

Edited February 28, 2017 by streakeagle

[+Trotski 832]

I had DCS on Steam, but I found it better to go solo via the DCS site , but its horses for courses really, most of my games are via steam, I just found DCS easier out of steam.

[+Geary 1,877]

Thanks all for your input.

 

I'm leaning toward NO Steam, much for reasons some of you gave.

 

But at the cost of the planes and the limited inventory I need to explore a bit.

 

You see I think I'm in love with MilViz's F-4E and F-100D with TACPACKS for FSX. 

 

I visit their site so much I have an icon to it on my desktop.  I feel like a voyeur; like I'm stocking their planes.

 

Don't think I've seen many as beautiful as theirs.

 

I got their F-86F a couple years back.  Took me half a day to get it off the ground.  Bought some cheap weapons pack for it.  It's crap.  When I pulled the trigger on my joystick, got very disappointed.  I prefer combat sims.  Just that FSX has such beautiful planes.  But all eunuchs.

 

So... can only currently afford DCS or FSX and need to decide although I'm leaning more toward DCS so I can shoot stuff.  BUT MAN, I LOVE those MilViz planes.

[JediMaster 451]

There are periodic sales for DCS, you just have to keep an eye out. Best way is to sign up for their newsletters where they announce them. Alternatively when you start DCS World sales are announced on the main page in the little banner, but this does require you run the game every few days to make sure you don't miss them as opposed to just checking email. :)

 

You can start with either FC3, which gives you multiple planes for the price of one, or one of the older planes like the A-10C which aren't pricey anymore.

 

The only reason I have as many planes as I do is I've been accumulating them over 6 years now. I don't have even half the total available, though.