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Steam So Steam are selling game guides...

Discussion in 'Gaming' started by October, 21 May 2010.

  1. October

    October Mariachi Style

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    Clicky

    Not really sure what to make of this... I mean, yes the overlay functionality is handy but it's still just a website! No internet and you're in trouble. And since you're using the overlay to look at it anyway, why not just go to Gamefaqs (etc) for free? I was thinking more like a nice downloadable pdf or something, that they'd worked into the overlay somehow. But no. Just a website.

    And then there's the price... 50% off right now but they'll be a full £13 normally. That's how much the massively heavy glossy buy-in-the-shop version is! This is madness! (don't start...or do :worried:)

    Yeah the more I think about it, this is a really stupid idea.

    Thoughts, anyone?
     
  2. MikeMania

    MikeMania What's a Dremel?

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    I've probably only needed guides for a few sentences worth of information to help me past something I've gotten stuck on. IMO, any guide on gamefaqs is enough. Although for guides for collecting hidden stuff, its good to have a visual. That said, even sites like GameSpot and IGN do these sometimes for free.
     
  3. Draksis

    Draksis What's a Dremel?

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    for that price, I'll take the heavy glossy book, thanks. But for simple web access, not a chance!!
     
  4. Rogan

    Rogan Not really a

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    I've been looking through them today, and they all seem a little bare.

    The Just Cause 2 one looks ok though. Lots of stuff in there. Not a lot you don't already get on the map screen though.
     
  5. PureSilver

    PureSilver E-tailer Tailor

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    Er - the point of a game guide is it's something you can reference in-game. To me that means a telephone-directory-sized glossy guide open on the desk below my computer screen. Thanks, but no thanks, at least until you do .pdfs I can browse on and offline, and in and out of game...
     
  6. shadows

    shadows What's a Dremel?

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    Wow that seems very useful for an instant access to a guide, but at the same price as the printed ones? I think not.

    Besides having a printed one and being able to refer to back and forth whilst in the game is excellent.
     
  7. Chaos_Engine

    Chaos_Engine What's a Dremel?

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    WHATS WRONG WITH GAME FAQS? REALLY? WASTED MONEY...
     
  8. merple

    merple What's a Dremel?

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    Not sure who is going to actually pay for this when you can just alt tab and use the web browser...
     
  9. October

    October Mariachi Style

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    Fixed that for ya there :thumb:
     
  10. EvilMerc

    EvilMerc Minimodder

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    Even with the 50% off it's too damn expensive! I could buy a half decent game with the money that'd be spent on this glorified PDF file.
     
  11. DarkLord7854

    DarkLord7854 What's a Dremel?

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    I thought the point of putting things online was to be able to save money on the print costs and thus bring down the price.. what a bunch of greedy pigs.
     
  12. DragunovHUN

    DragunovHUN Modder

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    Umm, whenever steam pricing comes into discussion people seem to forget that bandwidth and servers aren't free.
     
  13. DarkLord7854

    DarkLord7854 What's a Dremel?

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    I highly doubt those guides push past 100Mbs a pop, and even so, bandwidth is WAYYYYY cheaper than print material, ink, packaging, distribution, etc.

    Also, if I recall, don't Steam take a small percentage of the sell price and that's used to pay for bandwidth consumption and all?
     
  14. tristanperry

    tristanperry Minimodder

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    In my opinion it's a waste of money (and over-priced considering GameFAQs etc), however I don't personally think it's a silly idea from Steam's point of view - no doubt there will be demand, and to service this demand, costs (hiring writers, slightly increased bandwidth and servers, etc) will inevitably arise.

    As I say, I wouldn't buy such a guide however I can see why they're doing it and pricing it at the level they are.

    Mind you, the full price does seem a bit of a rip-off, though.
     
  15. DarkLord7854

    DarkLord7854 What's a Dremel?

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    They're Prima Guides.. not affiliated with Steam, Prima set their prices and they currently sell hard copy versions of the same exact guide but in glossy books. They already have all the staff they need and bandwidth costs less than printing costs.

    :rolleyes:
     
  16. Leman

    Leman What's a Dremel?

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    I own a couple of Piggyback guides for the Metal Gear and Resident Evil series. I never really used them but guides like that are usually of such a high quality they become almost little collectors things. Prima guides always struck me as being cheapo deals with bad art and bad design work.

    For what its worth alot of the guides on Gamefaqs and similar sites (cheathappens) are better than most book based ones anyway. Mainly because they rely on the passion of the author for the specific game in question. Which leads of some scarily in-deoth guides.
     
  17. woody_294

    woody_294 Wizard Ninja :P

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    Yeah, I saw them and thought, great idea! Then I saw the price, arguments for and against the price aside, I shall not be buying one. They do have videos in them though do they not??
     
  18. SweatyRod

    SweatyRod Bah! Boh!

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    Complete and utter waste of money IMO. It wouldnt be that bad if they bundled it with the game,to bring more sales to themselves and be better than the competition.

    As stated in previous posts in this thread,the only times I have used a guide is to get past something I am stuck on,plus just google the game and the level/part you are stuck on and you are bound to find multiple sites which offer free guides,which all include images etc to help you.

    IGN and GameFaqs are prime examples.Waste of money,but wouldn't be a bad idea as a bundle,like if they were doing their Weekend Deals,they could bundle in the game guide.
     
  19. tristanperry

    tristanperry Minimodder

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    You are right that they're Prima guides and not Steam-'customized' ones (I had mis-understood)

    Regarding the bandwidth costs - I agree that they'd be lower than printing costs, however it's kind of a different target market and so I would imagine a rise in bandwidth costs (and not being offset by a fall in printing costs).

    As I say, I wouldn't buy. I was just saying that it's not like they are cost-free or even cost-neutral.
     
  20. DarkLord7854

    DarkLord7854 What's a Dremel?

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    Right, but it's clear that they're capitalizing on the fact it's cheaper to make a large net gain.. which is pretty disgusting and lame tbh
     

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