Which service from which to buy?

[tyroney]

You can launch steam normally, then choose to restart it into offline mode, (steam menu, go offline) which it will stick in until you turn it off, or reinstall, or something.  (though every time you start it up it asks to make sure you want to stay in offline)  That's about all you get.

Though recettear shouldn't need steam to run at all once you have it downloaded and installed.  Just dig into the Steam/steamapps/common/Recettear folder and launch or shortcut the executable there.  (and you can probably grab the Recettear folder from there and drop it on your flash drive)

[Darktau]

I'm a big fan of steam, but I would prefer the game stand-alone, so I have bought from GamersGate (never used them before though )

Impulse: Charity
GamersGate: Stand-alone
Steam: Well it's just steam, do I need to say more? You use it, you know what it's like (also automatic updates )

[Nozomi]

Well if you started just one time steam offline mod WHEN you are connected to the internet in the future you don't need anymore to have internet lol, i made that one time now it works all the time, and any game i have also works offline lol

[Hawkey]

Will you offer the game at your site too ? Like to get the game directly from the developers and using PayPal etc. isn't to difficult

[Ignus]

I bought it from Steam but I regret it now. GamersGate is DRM free. And Steam offline mode is kind of broken, sometimes it needs to connect to the net, lol

[Ariolander]

You can launch steam normally, then choose to restart it into offline mode, (steam menu, go offline) which it will stick in until you turn it off, or reinstall, or something.  (though every time you start it up it asks to make sure you want to stay in offline)  That's about all you get.

Again counter intuitive to have you log-in online via internet and verify your account before you can play offline when the entire reason you want to play offline is because you lack internet. Very counter-intuitive if you ask me.

I can't predict weather or not I will know the local WEP keys and I like to maintain online when I can to Steam chat with people I know so when your need to game offline is unpredictable Steam makes it very inconvenient.

I might try Rincewind's method to see if it works but either way Steam makes "offline" gaming a hastle compared to Impulse, D2D, or GamersGate where the latter two don't use specially wrapped .EXEs for their service.

I love Steam to death as I am always playing TF2 or DOW2 both of which require steam and many of my friends chat online using Steam's IM service but the way they handle offline gaming continually bugs me.

I would prefer if they were a bit more like Impulse which doesn't bat an eye if you don't have internet and just disables internet-required functions if no connection is found instead of having an entirely separate mode you have to log into, verify, and boot to when you are without internet.

[pkt-zer0]

Again counter intuitive to have you log-in online via internet and verify your account before you can play offline when the entire reason you want to play offline is because you lack internet. Very counter-intuitive if you ask me.

Steam is a digital distribution platform, which means downloading games off the internet. Having to be online some time during that process is many things, but counter-intuitive isn't one of them.

[tyroney]

Again counter intuitive to have you log-in online via internet and verify your account before you can play offline when the entire reason you want to play offline is because you lack internet. Very counter-intuitive if you ask me.

If you don't have a valid connection, Steam will eventually give up on logging you in, and ask if you want to go offline.  I was just relaying how to get it into "permanent" offline mode.

And like I said, in this case you can just launch the game and ignore steam once you have it all downloaded.

[Pocket Nerd]

By the way, I did buy two copies of the Steam version (for myself and my girlfriend). Enjoy your slice of the pie, CF; you've certainly earned it! (^_^)

[Ariolander]

Steam is a digital distribution platform, which means downloading games off the internet. Having to be online some time during that process is many things, but counter-intuitive isn't one of them.

Steam is not the only digital distrubution platform and others have certainly handled offline gaming MUCH more elligantly than Steam has.

I understand you have to be online but when you are done downloaded and just wan't to play, the hoops Steam makes you jump through to access your own games are rediculous. You have to ask permission to access games you bought before you can play offline? If I can't log in I then have to disable my network adapter altogether? Seriously?

Just because Steam has the largest market share doesn't mean their service can't be improved. Simply because they don't have the market share Steam does its competing services are more receptive to cosnumer feedback as Valve has been ignoring everyones gripes about "Offline Mode" since Steam's incemption.

Look back at reviews of Half Life 2 when Valve FORCED everyone to use Steam if they wanted to play a retail game. The way they handled "Offline Mode" has been a major complaint since 2004. Look at professional reviewers or hell its Amazon consumer review page. 245 reviews dating all the way back to 2004 and all of them complaining about how Steam handles "Offline Mode" for a game that has no online components and shouldn't need an internet connection anyways.

[pkt-zer0]

Steam is not the only digital distrubution platform and others have certainly handled offline gaming MUCH more elligantly than Steam has.

You need to allow it to save your account credentials, and that's it. You might get screwed if your net connection drops while updating, but I don't see how that's that big a deal, really. (You can disable automatic updates, fyi)

[BabyBlueEyes]

I went with Steam, though I did feel kinda bad because Impulse has the Child's Play promotion.

[Mivo]

I pre-ordered my copy at GamersGate. No DRM of any kind, and they've always provided me with excellent customer service. I use Steam only when I really have to (Puzzle Quest 2, Civ5), at least for the time being.

[Hawkey]

Mh, still don't have a confirmation about the direct distribution

Will you offer the game at your site later today too ? Don't like to wait much longer, but like to support you the best possible way

[Kamirose]

Mh, still don't have a confirmation about the direct distribution

Will you offer the game at your site later today too ? Don't like to wait much longer, but like to support you the best possible way

They say in their FAQ that they won't, because the don't want to directly compete with their distributors.

Edit: here's the quote:

Hey, how come you guys are only selling the game through third-party distributors? I wanna purchase the game from you directly!
This is more of a courtesy to our distributors than anything else; while none of our contracts with other distributors forbid us from selling the game on our own, our distributors do quite a bit of legwork in helping us to promote the game, they provide bandwidth, they do a whole host of things for us. It would therefore feel a little bit awkward for us to attempt to directly compete with them. So we do not currently sell our games directly, due to how much help we get from our distributors - don't worry, if you buy from them we still get a fair cut!