I have two games that came with RX Vega 64 that need to be activated through Steam. I have never had a Steam account, nor know the first thing about it other than what it is.
So question is, is there anything I should know before? I do not want to create an account and realize I made mistakes that I cannot change later.
Also I want to buy a couple games. Should I do it through Steam, will Steam recognize a game if purchased elsewhere?
I am sure I have other questions but do not know enough about it.
Activating games on Steam is very easy to do - just be aware you can’t move them afterwards. Once tied to that account they are tied to it forever.
You can buy games through Steam and I would certainly. Steam will only recognize either games bought through Steam or games added to Steam using a Steam License Key which some places resell like Humblebundle.
I believe you can also add some physical copies of games through Steam and get the Steam version but it depends on the game (Dawn of War works this way for example but not all of its expansions).
Other game distribution platforms include GOG, Origin (EA), etc. Most don’t really integrate with each other which can be a pain.
Only thing I would keep in mind is if I had the choice between buying an older game like say some of the older Star Wars games like Jedi Academy I’d buy it on GOG over Steam as GOG put more effort in to making sure those older games run on newer hardware and platforms.
Steam is a unified game platform with mobile apps and a built in authenhicator with those apps. The authenhicator acts as a two step verification and can only be bound to one device.
Steam is on all 4 major os platforms, linux, mac, bsd, and windows, and is easy to create an account for with just an email and password. You have access to a very in depth forum system. The discussion sections are generally the best place to ask about a game as well. The other stuff with that you’ll figure out for yourself.
The store itself is simple. You can search for a game on the steam store, or in the bottom corner you can add a steam game and input a game code from a purchase on another site such as humble bundle. You can also link and launch other applications in your system from this menu.
You do not need to give a credit card number despite outside belief. You can even use bitcoin.
Hope that answers your questions. I have 0 clue what you are scared of.
Not trying to derail, but is that true? I would think you could (in theory) send a game via the gift interface to another account and you’d be alright. I could be (and most likely am) wrong though.
To the OP, if you’re worried about sharing games, Steam does give you the option in some capacity: http://store.steampowered.com/promotion/familysharing
Though iirc you can’t play the same game at the same time with the person.
As far as I am aware you cannot gift a game once Activated against your account and therefore in your library - it’s stuck there forever.
You can purchase a game and add it to your inventory rather than activate it and then gift or activate at a later date but this is not the same as you cannot play the game or do anything with it until you’ve gifted or activate it.
I could also be wrong though
I did also forget about the Sharing system since I’ve never used it but it is there as long as you keep in the mind the restriction you mentioned.
Ehh… kinda? You can get it running with wine or with the Linux compatibility thing on FreeBSD (can’t remember the proper name), there is no native version for *BSD. Would be cool though. A bit impractical at the moment, but cool nonetheless.
/derailment
