Games, platforms and communes

PC gamers know very well about Valve's Steam and EA's Origin, game community and gaming platforms. Although Origin is pretty new as gaming platform, it still has the same purpose as Steam. There are several other platforms, like Xfire and Windows Live. Many PC gamers use them to show friends what games they are playing at the time or have been playing in general and same time they are able to communicate with each other. Some platforms show unlocked achievements and some are just for the gameplay.

Steam and Origin logos

I have been using Steam from 2009 when I got Left 4 Dead 2. I didn't know what to expect from this platform, but it ran quite easily. After some time, there were problems with downloading updates that didn't come in as easily as they should have. And there were some little issues with the interface.

Like Steam, Xfire is one quite popular platform too. At the time I registered using their program back in 2007 they didn't have game store, but as times go by, they are getting along with every platform. At first it was pretty nice to use it to keep tracking friends to join their gameplay sessions, if they were playing online games, like Maple Story long time ago. Using this program had little issues, like using custom skins with different feature windows. Sometimes they worked correctly and sometimes not at all. And now as they have updated their software, to my opinion they have WAY too many different features which can be opened with different hotkeys. I had little trouble with this, but now that I only use the program to track my game statistics, I don't have to use the hotkeys so much.

I like these platforms for the sole purpose to statistics tracking and friend tracking, it's more easier to join games nowadays without asking for IP address of a server etc.. And without doubt, the most best thing is no CD/DVD usage (Steam and Origin). After installing the game, you can put the case back to shelf and play never opening the case anymore. Even if there is some games discs that has DRM system with them. I don't mind myself that much, but in the long run it's more of annoying.


Even if they are popular, there are things people don't like or just hate.
Steam had its own problems, customer service (responsing to customers and resolving) and use of program, etc.. I have to admit that I don't really care about these things (too optimistic if you ask why), as long they are resolved within couple months and isn't affected to my gameplay, but still it's not nice to let customers wait.

Origin is another platform I have used, not for long though. As I got into Battlefield 3 alpha test, I had to download this platform in order to install game. It was no problem for me as I wanted to test it out anyways. There was one idiotic way to start the game, but I'll reveal that later (so I don't have any chances to get banned from the beta test period, EA is that strict).

Text looking for place

I hate making new blog entries so much. I'm not going to even try this time, so here is my random ramble, for now

Yes, I have tried blogging before, with my own sites (Wordpress) and then the Operas own blogger and Xfire blog soft. Those all have their own good and bad things, like Operas nice and clear outfit customization, but they lack of sharing options...well, they don't exaclty have any, which bothers me a lot. And if you don't know about Xfire, it's game community with abilities of joining your friends games via their software and game store, kinda like Valves Steam and EAs Origin.
Xfire has same problems as Opera (no sharing options), but it is kinda replaced with ability of getting knowledge withing your friends in the community, if they want to read your posts - if you have friends on the community at the time you write anything.
But for some reason, I always forgot to blog for few weeks, and then it's forgotten. I don't believe reason to be not enough audience nor lack of information to give. More like tired of thinking, what to write.

I didn't want to write anything in the blogger in the first place though, the time when it was blogspot. There was always something that made me think that it was crappy websoft. But as i'm getting myself warm to idea of blogging as weird s**t as I make up, I'm considering testing all popular and most usefull softs there are.
One reason I chose blogger to use, it was from Google. Now don't get me wrong. I don't "love" google by any means, or do I suggest Google apps or software (Android, Gmail etc.) to anyone. But more like I don't like using other blog softwares by, lets say, from Microsoft, if they made any these. But Google is more familiar for me.

Meh, I find myself rambling again.

Spent last 2 weeks vacation, doing almost nothing but sleeping and playing...and don't even ask what games.
Well, spent second weekend on Porispere, Poris Metal festival. It was quite nice for my first festival, which could have been Tuska Open Air, but got no ride from friends and didn't have much money to spent on transportation, less to some hotel/hostel. But Porispere was still quite nice. Got myself to first line to the stage couple times even. And the pain in the neck after that festival, urgh! Still worth it though! And met the vocalist of finnish band Battle Beast.

Alrighty, I'm getting tired, so I'll get this post over quickly. Next time I'm going to ramble over for some games, new or old, depends if I get one of my pre-orders soon *waits release of Skyrim*!

PS. If you noticed that I jump from one thing to another and then back, it's kind of way I write sometimes :P