So – I just bought the new game Supreme Commander 2. This question is not about the game, but about the online software installation platform that it seems to require. I haven't bought a game in a long time, and I'm puzzled: Apparently, SC2 is a "Steam"-powered game.
When I went to install the game, it asked me to either create a new Steam account or log in with an existing account. I clicked "Cancel" because I don't plan to play online and I don't want anything unnecessary installed on my computer since I only plan to play single player!
However, after clicking "Cancel", the installer asked for my confirmation that I indeed wanted to cancel the installation of the game! I thought I was just canceling the "online" portions!
I understand now that Steam is required by many games, as a form of DRM. But, any software claiming to be DRM and requiring connectivity makes me worried. So I really want to know:
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Can I trust this "Steam" DRM (Digital Rights Management) software platform?
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Has anybody done any independent verification on how this platform works? (I'm very leery of any DRM after the Sony BMG CD copy protection scandal. Thank goodness for Mark Russinovich.)
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Does the "Steam" platform install anything particularly nasty or unwanted on my computer?
Best Answer
Yes, you can trust it. It is non-intrusive and all it does (at minimum) is manage your games and patches for you. Anything else is optional.
Steam has an offline mode, where you can play your games without a connection to Steam, granting you total freedom from Valve's servers.
It doesn't install anything but the software you need (like DirectX and drivers for example) and the games and patches. Nothing you don't want, unless you don't want the game you're installing. The only downside is that these patches are kind of forced on you, even for single-player games. If the developer decides to 'downgrade' the game or make a change you don't like, there's not much you can do about it.
I'm not aware of any 'independent verification', but the DRM Steam is itself is very harmless, you can choose to run Steam in offline mode and there would be absolutely no way for them to pull access to your game, except for the fact you wouldn't get patches. Any other DRM can be chosen to be used by the game itself of course, but that has nothing to do with Steam.
Anyway, the choice to use Steam has already been made by Square Enix. If you don't trust them, why are you installing the game itself?