The US is the only country that exists!

Hah :D.

I'm not trying to troll or anything, I'll probably be okay with Steamworks games (read, Steamworks games, games that actually take advantage of Steam's features, not the other just-distributed-by-Steam titles) if I had a guaranteed 24/7 really fast internet connection with minimal ping.

Too bad, it doesn't exactly work like that in the real world.

Yeah, I have that, and yet it still annoys me when Metro 2033 requires a 2GB patch right after install. I can only imagine what some poor bastard with crappy internet thought of that.

Shamefully the big publishers couldn't really give any less of a shit about the world outside of the US/UK. That's probably why piracy rates are so high in other countries... why support those who shit on you?

Of course, on release day it doesn't matter what speed connection you have. Valve simply don't have the infrastructure to support everyone trying to download the release day patch.

Damn, that's fast compared to what I had to put up with. I bought Supreme Commander 2 in the xmas sale (Retail), forgot to check the DRM (Stupid me) and then spent over a MONTH downloading and activating the damn thing.

Obviously my crappy internet connection did not help matters, but it does not help when retail games come with crappy internet only activation and massive GB online installs!!

At least a fixed exe has been unofficially released so I can play the single player portion of the game now without Steam, but the LAN (If it even has LAN support) is no longer available.

Why can developers not do what Egosoft has done with the X series. If you by it off Steam you get the Steam version, if you buy it anywhere else you don't have to use Steam and if you buy it retail you don't even need the Internet.

Or why can't all Steamworks games have an offline install for singleplayer only, like Dark Messiah and Rogue Warrior did.

This

Gah! Did it?
*checks*
Holy shit. It's right there, in the multiplayer requirements... "Installation of Steam software required for multiplayer".

Now, THAT'S the sort of Steamworks implementation I can happily accept. I didn't even know it existed, and it had no affect on my ability to install or play the single-player. Perfection.

I suppose that they would be adding online activation DRM anyway, so they just let Steam do the work since they're already using it.

True, although I would still have liked to play Dark Messiah on a LAN with out steam, but at least I was able to buy and play the single player

Or Steam for internet multiplayer only, allowing LAN and Single Player without Steam, because why should you need a internet connection if you intend to play over a local network? This is why Steam only games such as Fallout : New Vegas lost my sale becuase it is a single player only game and yet I require an Internet connection, also if Steam wasn't required for Lan I would have bought Counter Strike : Source and Team fortress 2. Steam is only losing sales rather than protecting them through DRM. (well sales from me anyway).

hmm steam does not require constant internet connection you can play it offline you wont get the achievements or cloud saves thats all
sad that lan mode requires connection

It requires an internet connection to install, is what he and I are talking about.

install? you mean from the retail disc??

From any version, disc included yes. And it's not just random internet remember, you need to have the ability and the authorization to contact a specific server.

Basically the main issue people like myself have with DRM is that you are dependent on some company, in this case Valve, to allow you to play your games. Many people, again like myself, do not agree with that on a fundamental level. I believe that after a customer purchases a copy of your game that should be it, they then own that copy and can install or play it whenever and however they like.

That is exactly how I feel, to the letter said very eloquently. There should never be a reason for the end user to have to result to 3rd party programs to enable them to enjoy there games where and how they want. Exception being legacy titles that need special exe/dll files to remove old code and or launchers to assist in making a legacy title work (EX: GoG Games)