If you've purchased the game through Steam, don't hold your breath for the patch deployment. I sent a message to Atari's technical support asking for them to push the patch, and this was their reply:
If you've purchased the game through Steam, don't hold your breath for the patch deployment. I sent a message to Atari's technical support asking for them to push the patch, and this was their reply:
If you've purchased the game through Steam, don't hold your breath for the patch deployment. I sent a message to Atari's technical support asking for them to push the patch, and this was their reply:
That's the same thing they say to anyone who asks literally anything about the game.
Is anyone else having any issues trying to join a multiplayer game using the Beamdog network protocol. I tried joining a game a few nights ago and my game went unresponsive each time (four times total). I finally gave up.
Does the Beamdog network display "local" games or "all" games on its network?
Also, the Beamdog multiplayer game selection screen could use a huge facelift. How about displaying ping/response time/lag, chapter, Current quest, and maybe different network zones too like US West, Central, East (or whatever is logical to the Beamdog network). Ultimately a more immersive and intuitive screen with more info about each of the games would be great.
If you've purchased the game through Steam, don't hold your breath for the patch deployment. I sent a message to Atari's technical support asking for them to push the patch, and this was their reply:
... Steam was horrible invention.
Why must do everything so complicated? Why can not be patch exe file on beamdog website?
If I may, I am curious about the use of “can't” here. What contingency does prevent you from buying from Beamdog exactly?
In my case, I bought BG:EE with PayPal. But now I don't have money on PayPal and have no credit card so I also can't buy BG2:EE from Beamdog and I don't want to buy from Steam.
A debit card option or other alternatives for payment would be really nice.
Of course. All their effort goes now into BG2 EE. Its 1 Week before release. No one cares about BG EE on Steam. They have to get a good launch with BG2 or it will be the same Disaster as it was with BG EE. If they have a bad start, then BG3 is history and these guys are unemployed. I doubt, that the patch comes before BG2 release.
Of course. All their effort goes now into BG2 EE. Its 1 Week before release. No one cares about BG EE on Steam. They have to get a good launch with BG2 or it will be the same Disaster as it was with BG EE. If they have a bad start, then BG3 is history and these guys are unemployed. I doubt, that the patch comes before BG2 release.
These guys have no control over the patch on steam. The patch on steam is completely unrelated to BG2:EE coming out. The patch could come out in 15 minutes on steam. It could also never come out on steam. The game was put on steam without consulting the Beamdog team, and once again, they have no control over what updates get posted on it, or when. They also get a substantially smaller cut of any sales made on steam.
In conclusion: if you want the new patch, maybe consider buying it from the company that actually made it, to support them, instead of complaining about something on steam that's out of their control. Hmm?
@Ramza If we start bought all the games directly from the developers then gaming industry come to bankrupt. More options to buy the game is MUCH more profitable.
In conclusion: If they can not ensure easy patch distribution it's beamdog fault, not ours.
It is right that the on-line distribution through launcher is outdated and inefficient. Today is similar system still used only in MMO. Simple download patches here, or on bemadong website would solve all problems.
Of course. All their effort goes now into BG2 EE. Its 1 Week before release. No one cares about BG EE on Steam. They have to get a good launch with BG2 or it will be the same Disaster as it was with BG EE. If they have a bad start, then BG3 is history and these guys are unemployed. I doubt, that the patch comes before BG2 release.
These guys have no control over the patch on steam. The patch on steam is completely unrelated to BG2:EE coming out. The patch could come out in 15 minutes on steam. It could also never come out on steam. The game was put on steam without consulting the Beamdog team, and once again, they have no control over what updates get posted on it, or when. They also get a substantially smaller cut of any sales made on steam.
In conclusion: if you want the new patch, maybe consider buying it from the company that actually made it, to support them, instead of complaining about something on steam that's out of their control. Hmm?
I agree with you, maybe instead of buying cheaper, buy the better quality which was beamdogs. I like to buy straight from the original source in a lot of things, in this case (Beamdog)
@Edvin How is Atari posting Beamdogs game on steam without prior notice, and with no streamlined method to update ANYTHING on steam Beamdogs fault?
The only situation in which you could say that they are at fault is if they were aware in advance that Atari was doing this (which they weren't) and somehow pre-empted them in posting the game to steam first. But it was written in their FAQ long before that, that at some point the game may make its way onto steam, but their initial rollout was to be a Beamdog exclusive to facilitate more sale for the company that made it.
If I were to post a torrent of the game on a torrent site that was at version 2012 and was unable to be updated, would you complain that Beamdog needs to patch the torrent's version because they made the game and it's their fault? Is it a different case because Beamdog gets $0.57 per copy sold on steam (made up number)? The basic principle is still the same.
And if we were to buy all games direct from the developers, there'd be a hell of a lot less $100 million dollar games, and they wouldn't be selling in a shop for $60. The giant publishers would go bankrupt, maybe, sure, but maybe that's just what the gaming industry needs to get itself back on track. Hmm?
How is Atari posting Beamdogs game on steam without prior notice, and with no streamlined method to update ANYTHING on steam Beamdogs fault?
Main problem is in patches distribution. As @Tiaxxx mentioned, their method is outdated and inefficient. If they had traditional distribution there would be no problems even on steam.
I don't believe in problem with patches distribution. I think Overhaul/Beamdog just want en exclusive for themselves, for beamdog.com store (faster patches, exclusive beta access, mac and linux versions sold separately (compared to steam's STEAMPLAY (all 3 versions - mac/win/lin for price of 1 game, ...). Guys, i bought a game from an indie developer studio recently (I won't advertise them, but they're pretty well known i should say). They provide game through Steam and Humble Store. And you know what? Steam's version get's patches faster. Yes, i was comparing versions. So, please stop this "good cop/bad cop" game of yours with Atari. This is laughable.
How is Atari posting Beamdogs game on steam without prior notice, and with no streamlined method to update ANYTHING on steam Beamdogs fault?
Main problem is in patches distribution. As @Tiaxxx mentioned, their method is outdated and inefficient. If they had traditional distribution there would be no problems even on steam.
Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but even if Beamdog did supply standalone patch installers, wouldn't patching the steam game from an outside program cause steam to re-download the old version and overwrite it? You know, checking the files to make sure the full game is there, notices a bunch of files are wrong, re-downloads them = bye-bye patch? Not to mention that I believe the folder structure for the steam version is different.
As for streamlined digital downloading of updates being outdated... Uhh, yeah sure. I definitely preferred those days when I'd use my 28.8k modem to download 10MB patches for games, with virtually no way to know when a new one was released except to see it posted on some website I barely go to because dial-up internet sucked.
Sorry, the internet has advanced since then, and streamlined patch downloads is one of those things that's vastly superior to the original alternative.
I can confirm it is available on Steam. I'll help out with testing, just be be helpful.
And while I wait for it to download, I'm gonna jump into this debate:
I bought on Steam for two reasons: It was on sale, and I have more confidence in the longevity of Steam than in Beamdog.
In both the Beamdog and Steam client, anti-piracy protection is used. If Beamdog's servers go down / out of business, then suddenly the launcher can't verify your copy is authentic and the game won't launch. I bought Final Fantasy VII from Square-Enix, and it was a pain in the butt. Valve just has more experience and a better user experience on the sales end of gaming than I think studios and publishers do. Because Valve doesn't have any big competition in this game-delivery platform market, they can charge studios / publishers a hefty fee.
I'm not sure why Beamdog had to go through Atari to publish on Steam, but they must have had a good reason (likely licensing / copyright). I wonder if Beamdog now has enough to capital to just buy Baldur's Gate from Atari outright... maybe BG2 could be untethered from Atari.
Thanks Beamdog! I am pleasantly surprised how short the delay was between general release and Steam release, given all the bureaucracy that must've involved.
If Beamdog's servers go down / out of business, then suddenly the launcher can't verify your copy is authentic and the game won't launch.
This is not true. I'm using the standalone client and I usually don't run the game through the client but directly with baldur.exe. In this case at least, there is no check. I copied the game directory to my other computer, where the client had never been run, and the game runs through baldur.exe without asking for anything.
In both the Beamdog and Steam client, anti-piracy protection is used.
This is not true. Once your game has been downloaded from Beamdog (either via the client or the standalone launcher), it is fully portable and can be run without an online connection. I usually run the game executable directly (baldur.exe), skipping the launcher/installer except when I want to check for updates.
In both the Beamdog and Steam client, anti-piracy protection is used.
This is not true. Once your game has been downloaded from Beamdog (either via the client or the standalone launcher), it is fully portable and can be run without an online connection. I usually run the game executable directly (baldur.exe), skipping the launcher/installer except when I want to check for updates.
So, basically beamdog version is drm-free? And if beamdog will go bankrupt and all theirs servers will be shutdown, i'll still be able to play BG:EE?
In both the Beamdog and Steam client, anti-piracy protection is used.
This is not true. Once your game has been downloaded from Beamdog (either via the client or the standalone launcher), it is fully portable and can be run without an online connection. I usually run the game executable directly (baldur.exe), skipping the launcher/installer except when I want to check for updates.
So, basically beamdog version is drm-free? And if beamdog will go bankrupt and all theirs servers will be shutdown, i'll still be able to play BG:EE?
The way the Launcher will work is it will have to authenticate any new machine you wish to install it to. For BGEE, if we ever had to shut down Beamdog completely, we'd patch the game to remove any checks before we took the auth server down.
In both the Beamdog and Steam client, anti-piracy protection is used.
This is not true. Once your game has been downloaded from Beamdog (either via the client or the standalone launcher), it is fully portable and can be run without an online connection. I usually run the game executable directly (baldur.exe), skipping the launcher/installer except when I want to check for updates.
So, basically beamdog version is drm-free? And if beamdog will go bankrupt and all theirs servers will be shutdown, i'll still be able to play BG:EE?
Yes.
@mch202 You don't have to authenticate new machines, as @Isaya found out.
Comments
It just says that the game quit unexpectedly, will there be a new patch?
Does the Beamdog network display "local" games or "all" games on its network?
Also, the Beamdog multiplayer game selection screen could use a huge facelift. How about displaying ping/response time/lag, chapter, Current quest, and maybe different network zones too like US West, Central, East (or whatever is logical to the Beamdog network). Ultimately a more immersive and intuitive screen with more info about each of the games would be great.
Steam was horrible invention.
Why must do everything so complicated?
Why can not be patch exe file on beamdog website?
A debit card option or other alternatives for payment would be really nice.
In conclusion: if you want the new patch, maybe consider buying it from the company that actually made it, to support them, instead of complaining about something on steam that's out of their control. Hmm?
If we start bought all the games directly from the developers then gaming industry come to bankrupt.
More options to buy the game is MUCH more profitable.
In conclusion: If they can not ensure easy patch distribution it's beamdog fault, not ours.
Today is similar system still used only in MMO.
Simple download patches here, or on bemadong website would solve all problems.
How is Atari posting Beamdogs game on steam without prior notice, and with no streamlined method to update ANYTHING on steam Beamdogs fault?
The only situation in which you could say that they are at fault is if they were aware in advance that Atari was doing this (which they weren't) and somehow pre-empted them in posting the game to steam first. But it was written in their FAQ long before that, that at some point the game may make its way onto steam, but their initial rollout was to be a Beamdog exclusive to facilitate more sale for the company that made it.
If I were to post a torrent of the game on a torrent site that was at version 2012 and was unable to be updated, would you complain that Beamdog needs to patch the torrent's version because they made the game and it's their fault? Is it a different case because Beamdog gets $0.57 per copy sold on steam (made up number)? The basic principle is still the same.
And if we were to buy all games direct from the developers, there'd be a hell of a lot less $100 million dollar games, and they wouldn't be selling in a shop for $60. The giant publishers would go bankrupt, maybe, sure, but maybe that's just what the gaming industry needs to get itself back on track. Hmm?
(edited for typos/phrasing)
As @Tiaxxx mentioned, their method is outdated and inefficient.
If they had traditional distribution there would be no problems even on steam.
I think Overhaul/Beamdog just want en exclusive for themselves, for beamdog.com store (faster patches, exclusive beta access, mac and linux versions sold separately (compared to steam's STEAMPLAY (all 3 versions - mac/win/lin for price of 1 game, ...).
Guys, i bought a game from an indie developer studio recently (I won't advertise them, but they're pretty well known i should say). They provide game through Steam and Humble Store. And you know what? Steam's version get's patches faster. Yes, i was comparing versions.
So, please stop this "good cop/bad cop" game of yours with Atari. This is laughable.
You can follor Philip Daigle's twitter here:
https://twitter.com/daigledopple
As for streamlined digital downloading of updates being outdated... Uhh, yeah sure. I definitely preferred those days when I'd use my 28.8k modem to download 10MB patches for games, with virtually no way to know when a new one was released except to see it posted on some website I barely go to because dial-up internet sucked.
Sorry, the internet has advanced since then, and streamlined patch downloads is one of those things that's vastly superior to the original alternative.
And while I wait for it to download, I'm gonna jump into this debate:
I bought on Steam for two reasons: It was on sale, and I have more confidence in the longevity of Steam than in Beamdog.
In both the Beamdog and Steam client, anti-piracy protection is used. If Beamdog's servers go down / out of business, then suddenly the launcher can't verify your copy is authentic and the game won't launch. I bought Final Fantasy VII from Square-Enix, and it was a pain in the butt. Valve just has more experience and a better user experience on the sales end of gaming than I think studios and publishers do. Because Valve doesn't have any big competition in this game-delivery platform market, they can charge studios / publishers a hefty fee.
I'm not sure why Beamdog had to go through Atari to publish on Steam, but they must have had a good reason (likely licensing / copyright). I wonder if Beamdog now has enough to capital to just buy Baldur's Gate from Atari outright... maybe BG2 could be untethered from Atari.
Thank you Beamdog for sorting this out
Welldone guys!
I copied the game directory to my other computer, where the client had never been run, and the game runs through baldur.exe without asking for anything. It was stated many times that Atari decided to release the game on Steam without telling it to Beamdog.
From http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/comment/31165#Comment_31165
@mch202 You don't have to authenticate new machines, as @Isaya found out.