TF2

Thansal

mostly they are adds, but if there is a big update for one of their products, or a partnership, or any sort of big news (steamworks) it gets put there also.

remi

<!--quoteo(post=1680447:date=Jun 7 2008, 11:23 AM:name=Thansal)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Thansal @ Jun 7 2008, 11:23 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1680447"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->mostly they are adds, but if there is a big update for one of their products, or a partnership, or any sort of big news (steamworks) it gets put there also.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Pretty awful choice... I just close out of it now because it's always Ads, so if they wanted to build hype by making those big updates... uhh... Fail.

Thansal

ahh, I actually look at the adds and buy stuff from them as they are things I am interested in (video games), in a delivery system I like (Steam), and generally when they are advertised it means they are discounted <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />

That and I know that they put the actual steam/valve games updates in there <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />

Align

The Steam Update News (which pop up after you close a game and never otherwise) have always had weekly update from Valve, even before there were ads.

TychoCelchuuu

<!--quoteo(post=1680448:date=Jun 7 2008, 10:33 AM:name=Psyke)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Psyke @ Jun 7 2008, 10:33 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1680448"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Pretty awful choice... I just close out of it now because it's always Ads, so if they wanted to build hype by making those big updates... uhh... Fail.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It's not Steam's fault that you have some sort of aversion to hearing about new releases or lowered prices.

Svenpa

<!--quoteo(post=1680438:date=Jun 7 2008, 02:47 PM:name=Align)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Align @ Jun 7 2008, 02:47 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1680438"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Axtinguisher - always crits on burning targets, less damage than normal axe<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Wow, an actual cool idea for the axe, DO WANT. I bet it's the 36th achivement unlock though, assuming all classes will get 36 achivements in total. I havn't finished 2 of the medic achivements yet...

Private_Coleman

<!--quoteo(post=1680462:date=Jun 7 2008, 11:37 AM:name=TychoCelchuuu)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TychoCelchuuu @ Jun 7 2008, 11:37 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1680462"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->It's not Steam's fault that you have some sort of aversion to hearing about new releases or lowered prices.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

I have an aversion to reading the same post twice. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" />

Crispy

Axtinguisher sounds awesome, as long as it's not too powerful and/or they build in a bit of a delay for drawing it so you can't just fastswitch straight to axe from flamer for cheap kills.

Kouji_San

Melee is cheap in TF2 anyways with its 2-3 meter reach <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />

Crispy

<!--quoteo(post=1680525:date=Jun 8 2008, 01:37 PM:name=Kouji_San)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Kouji_San @ Jun 8 2008, 01:37 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1680525"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Melee is cheap in TF2 anyways with its 2-3 meter reach <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" /><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->I've never understood why it's been this way in every damn HL and HL2 game or mod since the dawn of time. The knife in CS is the worst imo.

TychoCelchuuu

<!--quoteo(post=1680564:date=Jun 8 2008, 03:00 PM:name=Crispy)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Crispy @ Jun 8 2008, 03:00 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1680564"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I've never understood why it's been this way in every damn HL and HL2 game or mod since the dawn of time. The knife in CS is the worst imo.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Age of Chivalry does it pretty well; daggers have a really short range. As for HL/HL2, it's probably just to make melee easier to use in single player which is what Valve focuses on.

Shockeh

<!--quoteo(post=1680461:date=Jun 7 2008, 05:37 PM:name=TychoCelchuuu)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TychoCelchuuu @ Jun 7 2008, 05:37 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1680461"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->It's not Steam's fault that you have some sort of aversion to hearing about new releases or lowered prices.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I've an aversion to games that aren't actually a lowered price at all, and every game I've purchased through Steam was higher than from the shops. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" /> The only reason I ever have is convenience.

TychoCelchuuu

<!--quoteo(post=1680681:date=Jun 9 2008, 01:38 PM:name=Shockwave)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Shockwave @ Jun 9 2008, 01:38 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1680681"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I've an aversion to games that aren't actually a lowered price at all, and every game I've purchased through Steam was higher than from the shops. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" /> The only reason I ever have is convenience.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I mean lower prices than normal; we were talking about advertisements for the sales, remember?

remi

More importantly, I have an aversion to advertisements. Especially ones that look like internet popup spam, as I'm sure anyone who has surfed the web in the last 10 years does.

If they wanted to let me know about really great deals and games that were just put on the steam network they could do it in the format of a changelog or update news.

By putting these magazine ads in their newsbox they have made it synonymous with an internet popup, and as a result I close it without giving it a second glance.

TychoCelchuuu

Who cares if the advertisement pops up in its own window or sits on the store page or both? If you don't like them you can close them, which is exactly what you do.

remi

<!--quoteo(post=1680701:date=Jun 9 2008, 06:34 PM:name=TychoCelchuuu)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TychoCelchuuu @ Jun 9 2008, 06:34 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1680701"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Who cares if the advertisement pops up in its own window or sits on the store page or both? If you don't like them you can close them, which is exactly what you do.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That's my point... It took away the entire point of the newsbox and just turned it into another advertisement I ignore.

That's why I'm saying the newsbox is no longer a good place for them to advertise actual news and/or attempt to build hype for an upcoming TF2 update.

TychoCelchuuu

It's not a good place to advertise actual news to people who close it every time instinctively reading it. As far as everyone else goes it's fine.

remi

<!--quoteo(post=1680736:date=Jun 9 2008, 09:19 PM:name=TychoCelchuuu)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TychoCelchuuu @ Jun 9 2008, 09:19 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1680736"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->It's not a good place to advertise actual news to people who close it every time instinctively reading it. As far as everyone else goes it's fine.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
You seem stubborn and are not providing any logical arguments, so I'll stop wasting my time.

SnappyCrunch

<!--quoteo(post=1680715:date=Jun 9 2008, 08:04 PM:name=Psyke)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Psyke @ Jun 9 2008, 08:04 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1680715"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->That's my point... It took away the entire point of the newsbox and just turned it into another advertisement I ignore.

That's why I'm saying the newsbox is no longer a good place for them to advertise actual news and/or attempt to build hype for an upcoming TF2 update.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

I think that if you're not getting value out of the Steam newsbox, then you should turn it off instead of needing to close it every time. It would save you some hassle at least...

You can find the checkbox in File->Settings->Interface, down at the bottom.

There's enough people who are interested in the news and ads that Valve puts up there that you are likely to find out soon enough when Valve posts something that you'd be more interested in.

Problem solved?

DiscoZombie

some of us like Valve and Steam and some of us resent them I guess =P I trust Valve much more than most developers and publishers so I actually look at the ad/news popup. the ads are often for discounts on great games that I never bought because they were too expensive, and the news is usually related to Valve games that I play and like. The window doesn't even pop up if it already has once since they last updated the news.

I don't know why we're so adamantly defending advertising =P especially since when there's an ad on TV or the radio, I change stations immediately. Goes to show you how much I like Valve and Steam products I guess.

X_Stickman

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz8xnXblo1Q" target="_blank">Some adverts</a> are utterly <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOpKFPEah3E" target="_blank">badass</a>.

But seriously, who cares if an advertising window pops up when steam updates. Don't like it, hit close. It's not like when you're watching an awesome movie on TV and a 5 minute ad-break comes up ruining everything.

When you start getting 5 minutes of adverts for indigestion relief every 15 minutes (UK ad-breaks come roughly every 15 minutes, I dunno how it is elsewhere) of gameplay, that's something to complain about.

TychoCelchuuu

<!--quoteo(post=1680748:date=Jun 9 2008, 10:42 PM:name=DiscoZombie)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DiscoZombie @ Jun 9 2008, 10:42 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1680748"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->some of us like Valve and Steam and some of us resent them I guess =P I trust Valve much more than most developers and publishers so I actually look at the ad/news popup. the ads are often for discounts on great games that I never bought because they were too expensive, and the news is usually related to Valve games that I play and like. The window doesn't even pop up if it already has once since they last updated the news.

I don't know why we're so adamantly defending advertising =P especially since when there's an ad on TV or the radio, I change stations immediately. Goes to show you how much I like Valve and Steam products I guess.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Am I the only person on Earth who doesn't mind advertisements? I mean, without them the TV/radio wouldn't exist. It's how the thing makes money.

SkulkBait

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Am I the only person on Earth who doesn't mind advertisements?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yes

remi

<!--quoteo(post=1680756:date=Jun 10 2008, 04:28 AM:name=X_Stickman)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(X_Stickman @ Jun 10 2008, 04:28 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1680756"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->But seriously, who cares if an advertising window pops up when steam updates. Don't like it, hit close. It's not like when you're watching an awesome movie on TV and a 5 minute ad-break comes up ruining everything.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I don't actually care. Like Disco Zombie, I like Steam and Valve quite a bit. I don't mind the advertisements in and of themselves.

The point I am making is that their information distribution has been handicapped by the location in which they decided to put these adverts.
If they wanted to make a separate popup when steam updates with an advertisement, who am I to complain. They're providing a free service that works rather well. The problem is they didn't make it a separate popup so they've decreased the effectiveness of their newsbox.

As you say, if I don't like it, I close it. This isn't what a company should want you to do when they are providing important hype-building news like the release of another TF2 expansion. The company should be trying to ensure that everyone reads it. Yes, it doesn't matter that much because the news gets around, but if I was getting it straight from Steam I would feel more involved and feel that Valve is on a more personal level with me. Once again, this is only good for their business.

DiscoZombie

<!--quoteo(post=1680773:date=Jun 10 2008, 08:42 AM:name=TychoCelchuuu)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TychoCelchuuu @ Jun 10 2008, 08:42 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1680773"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Am I the only person on Earth who doesn't mind advertisements? I mean, without them the TV/radio wouldn't exist. It's how the thing makes money.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
quite true. TV and radio and many websites wouldn't be free if it wasn't for ads. I just prefer to let other people look at the ads while I avoid them <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />

TychoCelchuuu

<!--quoteo(post=1680778:date=Jun 10 2008, 09:41 AM:name=Psyke)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Psyke @ Jun 10 2008, 09:41 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1680778"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->As you say, if I don't like it, I close it. This isn't what a company should want you to do when they are providing important hype-building news like the release of another TF2 expansion. The company should be trying to ensure that everyone reads it. Yes, it doesn't matter that much because the news gets around, but if I was getting it straight from Steam I would feel more involved and feel that Valve is on a more personal level with me. Once again, this is only good for their business.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The point that you said you couldn't understand (in the post where you said you were done 'wasting your time' with this <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" /> ) is that with 99% of people they don't just instinctively close something just because it happens to come up in a new window. Games like Civilization and Medieval: Total War deliver notifications in popups; do you close those without reading them because you've been conditioned to? I personally can't think of any way for Steam to make these updates MORE obvious than making them pop up in your face whenever you update Steam.

Thansal

<!--quoteo(post=1680773:date=Jun 10 2008, 09:42 AM:name=TychoCelchuuu)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TychoCelchuuu @ Jun 10 2008, 09:42 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1680773"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Am I the only person on Earth who doesn't mind advertisements? I mean, without them the TV/radio wouldn't exist. It's how the thing makes money.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The problem is that so much of advertisements are stupid/inane/bad/not interesting to me.

I actually rather like targeted advertisements as they serve the purpose they are supposed to (introduce me to a product I might be interested in).
EX:
Steam. I have steam, therefore I play video games, there fore advertisements of new games/deal on Steam is a GOOD thing.
Amazon.com. People who looked at this product also looked at X Y Z. Here are some products you might like. etc etc. It is based off of what I am looking at/what I have purchased.

Now that of course can be tempered by dislike if the adds are loud/intrusive/obnoxious.

Anarchy Online was offered free to play with advertisements (don't remember if they removed the adds when you subscribed or not), and the adds were targeted and relevant (remember underworld being an add) but they were LOUD and DAMN annoying. Seriously, giant billboards in RBB that screamed at you.

The flip side is Psi Ops (game that is free from midway and is add supported). The add support turns out to be a quick little trailer that plays when you quit the game (It was for Wanted), you can't close it, you can't move it, but it is still smallish (though dead center), and doesnt' have jacked up volume.

AO pissed me off where as Psi Ops didn't. I guess it is all just a question of tastefulness of the adds, and my interest in the product (it honestly reminded me that I want to go see Wanted)


Ninja Edit @ Tycho:
He is conditioned to close the steam updates because he has been conditioned to see them simply as adds. And he is correct that they are. Most of the Steam updates are a full page add or 2 that you have to "next" through to get to the actual Steam News.

remi

<!--quoteo(post=1680787:date=Jun 10 2008, 11:24 AM:name=Thansal)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Thansal @ Jun 10 2008, 11:24 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1680787"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Ninja Edit @ Tycho:
He is conditioned to close the steam updates because he has been conditioned to see them simply as adds. And he is correct that they are. Most of the Steam updates are a full page add or 2 that you have to "next" through to get to the actual Steam News.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

This is what my response would have been. ^

I said I was done "wasting my time" because I felt you were just provoking me and not paying attention to what I'm actually saying.

TychoCelchuuu

They're only advertisements that you have to click through to get to the news if you rarely restart Steam (like most of us). The stuff just piles up until you finally check it. That's hardly Valve's fault. Actually, it is, because you shouldn't have to restart Steam to get the freaking news, but whatever. They don't package their news in with ads in order to get you to view the ads. That's just how it ends up working most of the time.

locallyunscene

<!--quoteo(post=1680789:date=Jun 10 2008, 11:52 AM:name=TychoCelchuuu)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TychoCelchuuu @ Jun 10 2008, 11:52 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1680789"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->They're only advertisements that you have to click through to get to the news if you rarely restart Steam (like most of us). The stuff just piles up until you finally check it. That's hardly Valve's fault. Actually, it is, because you shouldn't have to restart Steam to get the freaking news, but whatever. They don't package their news in with ads in order to get you to view the ads. That's just how it ends up working most of the time.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
And what <b>Psyche</b> is saying is that if they had the update news separate from the ads, more people would see the update news. If you don't think they package the two together so more people will view the ads then I have a bridge to sell you. I'm not saying it's an inviable business strategy as <b>Psyche</b> seems to be, but call a spade a spade(or a marketing department a marketing department).

Ninja Edit: I did it unintentionally, but it's just too perfect to fix.