I prefer 3, but I'm biased towards Steam because I both like what it's doing and it's the only DRM scheme that I actually accept. If it was another such service - for example, Origin or UPlay - I would prefer either 1 or 2, so I understand why some people are asking for those. BTW, isn't it possible to, for the Beta at least, provide a way for disabling checking for Steam on the client? Say, a hidden config option that, if set, would bypass the checking, or else a "cracked" game executable to be downloaded from somewhere else? (You could also go for fancy, for example by unloading Steam checks to a simple DLL that doesn't have to be updated, and then providing a "cracked" version of this DLL.) This would allow people that don't like Steam to use it just to download the game, but to play the game without Steam, without creating much more work for the devs. The "distribute a cracked executable" route is used by Egosoft (makers of the X series), which distribute a "cracked" executable for the Steam version of X 3 and it's related games, for example, so it at least should be feasible.
I would also say option 3. It is also a good idea to only update the DRM-Free version after the Beta got up a Stage. If it speeds things up and makes chucklefish's work easier. Why not. Also some People without Steam would: 1. Not have to wait thaaaaaat much longer and 2. they would have a much more stable version from the begin with.
having the DRM release after the beta is more stable would be a smarter idea that way at that point the people who don't want to deal with steam can actually keep up and play with the steam users, I hate the idea that that would exclude them from the initial beta, but at the same time if either option was done they'd only have other DRM free players to play with until the second phase of the beta regardless. So my choice, is option 3
Guess I am old school because I don't see the problem if people download the updates themselves like back in the day... KISS
The issue would be some people not having the same beta version as others, meaning some feedback wouldn't apply anymore. I.E. a bug in version 0.12 may not exist in 0.16, but people who still play 0.12 would still complain about it.
Because we're in the age of instant gratification. Anything that makes things easier and faster is what people want. Why make us download a separate installer when you can just use one that most people already have? Also this,
I'd vot for option 3; DRM-free version can wait, and Steam isn't THAT problematic. Plus, as they say in Spain : "Nunca llueve a gusto de todos" (kinda like "it's impossible to make everybody happy").
Steam is fine by me. I don't care so much about DRM free option, but others may. Only problem I see with steam is that Starbound will be another "Early Access"-game in steam and thus it may gain some bad karma and some customers will skip it totally because of it. I would prefer steam release only when game is finished. Or at least somehow don't make it buyable from steam until actual release. Otherwise steam is great option for providing automatic updates.
Option 3 sounds best since the game is going to be updatet quite often and possibly the easiest way to do it is steam. So Option 3 all the way.
After reading half these pages and seeing valid points on all sides I will have to say I am still voting option 3. Regardless if I play the Beta or not I have already been patiently awaiting this games arrival, I remember just geeking out over the preorder coming out. All of our reaourcea should go towards the beta and not pleasing everyone, the thing is most of the people itching to play could care less about reporting the bugs and trying to find them they just want to play. This game will be amazing but why not polish it off as much as we can? We have enough people prefering 3 to have a hefty amount of beta testers so picking 3 will be the most solid choice. I don't know about the reat of you but I have waited long enough for this game to relaize waiting a little longer won't hurt, they want to make the game as perfect as possible for us. If you simply cant wait for the DRM-Free updates just play the new Terraria update between them c: .
I play on steam, but i wouldnt mind the DRM download either. the only advantages steam provides me with is its cloud server for .sav files that i can access from anywhere in the world for free with my login, so either way is fine with me, although larger less frequent updates to keep DRM and Steam beta versions up to date seems the best way to go for this to not exclude anyone. or option 4: Release drm and keep it up to date and only publish the steam version once it is complete. and provide anyone who bout beta with a steam key upon release.
Like you said in option 3, release the first stage of the beta on steam and when is more stable release the free DRM one.
I'm cool with option 3, while DRM free would be nice, I would rather the game get finished faster rather than it's production being delayed by trying to please everyone. That said though, Molly in the immortal words of Tiny Tina "Shorty you da best"
If I hadn't gone through it myself, I'd be fine with 100% steam. Any dev could easily make their product drm free WITH steam being required to install, binding of isaac is completely stand-alone and I don't even need to run steam to play it now. The term "drm-free" is being completely misused. if you can use steam to download a game and still copy the game for personal use elsewhere, as I've done several times before now, then it's very much drm free. This is a debate over a steam free version, which is only necessary because some people have firewalls that completely block steam, unfortunately. Because of that, there should be a non steam version as well, though by nature it has to be updated less often. The amount of people suffering these firewall issues are remarkably small and I don't think chucklefish could support so many people downloading from their server if they updated it often enough
I agree with option 3. No matter what, all individuals who've pre-ordered will need the internet to download the game. Downloading Steam really isn't that hard or intrusive. Plus, Steam has an "Offline" mode for people really don't wish to log-in every time. We also need to consider just how beneficial Non-DRM Beta Testers are when they're not downloading updates. If they are submitting feedback, it will likely be old, and generally of no use.
