World is going mad

[CheeseSlice]

It now wants to spend 2 hours downloading the game.

What was the ******* point of driving to the ******* shop then? What is actually on the disc?

I had this a few years ago. There is a way to force it to install from disc if you want.

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_...5357-FSQM-0382

[minestrone]

As age of empires online didn't exist 15 years ago, that is very suspicious

We played it networked in our flat but I am pretty sure you could take it online through the MSDN gaming network around 2000, maybe before.

[hyperD]

As age of empires online didn't exist 15 years ago, that is very suspicious

Age of Empires II and III (Complete Edition) is in the Steam store but not sure when the first one came out.

We use Steam for L4d2 and Dino Horde for private multiplay. When it's working it's great: quick buy and downloads for new games, instant group invite etc But when it goes wrong, oh boy, it's a mare. One of my gaming compadres is constantly having game file corruption and Steam deciding to go in offline mode.

[amcdonald]

I only started to use steam last month to play my mates at age of empires online and the game does not work on one persons PC with steam despite it working on a PC of his 15 years ago with a disk.

Other than that there are a lot of very decent free games on steam.

As age of empires online didn't exist 15 years ago, that is very suspicious

[minestrone]

I only started to use steam last month to play my mates at age of empires online and the game does not work on one persons PC with steam despite it working on a PC of his 15 years ago with a disk.

Other than that there are a lot of very decent free games on steam.

[doodab]

To be fair games generally will fail under those circumstances, if you don't want to faff about with a computer buy a console

I don't see why something that controls what hours my son can use the computer should cause it to stop working. Plenty of other stuff, including older games like civ 4 work, and other desktop apps work, as family safety is set to allow all of them. It's just this scabrous piece of crap. It's marketed to 7 years olds. Did it really not occur to them to test it outside of an admin account?

The basic problem seems to be that they have done the standard lazy tuliphead developer thing of putting all user specific variable files under the main program files directories.

I am guessing this is why the PC version is substantially cheaper than the other versions and comes with a free ticket to legoland. They need to give it away to shift it.

[amcdonald]

Well it looks like after downloading there is a need to "fix it" by changing folder permissions and manually installing DirectX. Disabling UAC will stop it demanding a password every time but even after that it won't work under the family safety controlled account at all.

I am giving up for now. Massive pile of steaming turd. It was supposed to be a present for a 7 year old FFS, not a ******* day of bulltulip troubleshooting.

I am going to invoice the ****ers.

To be fair games generally will fail under those circumstances, if you don't want to faff about with a computer buy a console

[EternalOptimist]

Steam is very intrusive and there is nothing worse than playing a hard core strategic simulation of the battle of Kursk, then being told you have won an 'acheivement' for 'unlocking' the unit information panel, and your 'medal' will be shared with the steam 'community'

[ctdctd]

Well, I did say it may work.

I feel your anger - I have spent hours getting brand new printers to work - I'm looking at you, Brother.

My Steam account has download many games into my nice new W8 installation - but as I don't bother to play them anymore, I don't know if they work!

[OwlHoot]

Steam has been a help to me in one respect - It means I can occasionally play old platform games such as ID Software's Commander Keen

[doodab]

Well it looks like after downloading there is a need to "fix it" by changing folder permissions and manually installing DirectX. Disabling UAC will stop it demanding a password every time but even after that it won't work under the family safety controlled account at all.

I am giving up for now. Massive pile of steaming turd. It was supposed to be a present for a 7 year old FFS, not a ******* day of bulltulip troubleshooting.

I am going to invoice the ****ers.

[NotAllThere]

World is going madder

FTFY

[Bacchus]

World is going mad

There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.

There is another theory which states that this has already happened.

Douglas Adams

(c:

[ctdctd]

Game is on shiny disk in pretty box to persuade people to buy it.

Bug fixed version which may work is in the boring non shiny, non pretty cloud.

HTH

[doodab]

Or it could be me.

I bought a computer game for my son on DVD. It uses this new fangled "steam" thing. They left off the bit about "ing pile of turd". After faffing about on their "support forums" i.e. reading 100s of posts saying "I have the same problem help me" I decided to do my own thing and install it under a different (local user) account. It appears that games for 7 year olds aren't made with windows family safety users in mind, which some might call an oversight.

It now wants to spend 2 hours downloading the game.

What was the ******* point of driving to the ******* shop then? What is actually on the disc?