Steam News

Steam client update released

A Steam client update is now available. To apply the update, click the File menu inside of Steam and then select "Check for Steam Client Updates...". The specific changes include:

Steam Client

Added support for automatically launching a game after a retail install completes

Gravitron 2 Update Released

Updates to Gravitron 2 have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes include:

Gravitron 2

15 new levels have been added.

The Steam Holiday sale is on now. Until January 2, every game on Steam is available at 10% to 75% off the regular price. Select publisher catalogs such as Ubisoft, THQ, and 2K Games are 25% off. Award-winning titles such as Bioshock and Portal are available for 75% off the regular price. For more information, please visit steamgames.com/holidaysale

X3: Terran Conflict Update Released

Following hot on the heels of the 1.3 Update for Terran Conflict, Egosoft is pleased to announce the availability of Update 1.4. It includes a few new features to enhance your gameplay and as usual some bug-splatting has been done. The 1.4 Update for X3 Terran Conflict can be downloaded as usual from the Download Section. The Update fixes many issues which you have brought to our attention in addition to adding new features such as improved marine usage and we have also taken the unusual step of including a player modification in an official update, in the shape of "Gazz's Turret Fixing Mod". We have also taken note of some of the feedback you leave on the forums and have rebalanced some taxi missions and improved graphical performance still further. A complete list of all fixes and improvements can be found in the Egosoft forums or during the installation process of this update. A big thank you to everyone who has assisted us in the investigation and testing of some of these issues.

Several new features include:

Smarter Marine selection during boarding tasks
Finished marines are now listed at military outposts
Marine capacity for OTAS Sirokos increased
Gazz' Turret Fixing Mod included
Improved graphical performance

Tank Universal Update Released

Updates to Tank Universal have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes include:

Tank Universal

Enhanced keymapping - functions such as turboboost or sprint (for example) can now be mapped to mouse buttons or keyboard
Fixed incorrect key press messages during some cutscenes (if keys not set to default)
Fixed possible crash bug during training level (4) if example powershard collected by AI tank

Steam Lanches EA Titles Across Europe

December 22, 2008 -- Valve today announced Spore(tm), Spore Creepy & Cute Parts Pack, Mass Effect(r), Need for Speed(tm) Undercover and EA SPORTS FIFA Manager 2009 are available now to gamers in most of Europe, the United States and Canada via Steam, a leading platform for PC games and digital content with over 15 million accounts around the world.

In the coming weeks, Mirror's Edge(tm), Command & Conquer(tm) Red Alert(tm) 3, and Dead Space(tm), will be added to the catalog of EA's titles available via Steam.

For more information, please visit www.steamgames.com

STEAM LAUNCHES HIT PC GAMES FROM EA

Spore, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning and More Available Now

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - December 18, 2008. Just in time for the holidays, Valve announced that, Spore™, Spore Creepy & Cute Parts Pack, Warhammer® Online: Age of Reckoning™, Mass Effect®, Need for Speed™ Undercover and EA SPORTS FIFA Manager 2009 are available now to gamers in North America via Steam, a leading platform for PC games and digital content with over 15 million accounts around the world.

In the coming weeks, Mirror's Edge™ , Command & Conquer™ Red Alert™ 3, and Dead Space™ will also be added to the catalog of EA's titles available via Steam.

"EA is one of the industry's largest publishers," said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve. "The EA titles coming to Steam this holiday include some this year's top PC titles."

"We are pleased to extend our holiday titles to gamers worldwide via Steam -- a revolutionary technology that is one of the game industry's most successful digital distribution services," said John Pleasants, President, Global Publishing & Chief Operating Officer.

For more information, please visit www.steamgames.com

About Steam
The leading online platform for PC games and digital entertainment, Steam delivers new releases and online services to over 15 million PC users around the world. For more information, please visit www.steamgames.com

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EATM, EA SPORTS FreestyleTM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2008, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle, POGO, Spore, Dead Space, Command & Conquer, Red Alert, Mirror's Edge and Need for Speed are trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission. Mass Effect is a trademark or registered trademark of EA International (Studio & Publishing) Ltd. Warhammer is a registered trademark and Age of Reckoning is a trademark of Games Workshop Ltd. Official FIFA licensed product. "© The FIFA Brand OLP Logo is a copyright and trademark of FIFA. All rights reserved." Manufactured under license by Electronic Arts Inc. The Premier League Logo © The Football Association Premier League Limited 1996. The Premier League Logo is a trade mark of the Football Association Premier League Limited and the Premier League Club logos are copyright works and registered trade marks of the respective Clubs. All are used with the kind permission of their respective owners. Manufactured under license from the Football Association Premier League Limited. No association with nor endorsement of this product by any player is intended or implied by the license granted by the Football Association Premier League Limited to Electronic Arts. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Far Cry 2 Update Released

Updates to Far Cry 2 have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes include:

General changes

Added triple-header support to the game.
A widescreen option has been added and can be enabled only in single player mode.

Multiplayer changes

Fixed the direct join by IP functionality.
Added the minimum number of players in the host options.
Added the player's death count in the scoreboard.
The host can now set the respawn time in Advanced options, for player matches only.
The host can now set the starting rank of all players in the match, in Advanced options, for player matches only.
The VIP is shown on the scoreboard, for your team only.
The scoreboard is now displayed by the highest XP points to the lowest.
The ping system has been improved to display a more accurate result.
It is now possible to conduct a multiplayer match search from the map leader board.
Fixed certain characters that weren't allowed during profile creation (. _ ,)
It is now possible to add a clan name to the playerÂ¡Â¦s name through the use_clan_tag console command.
Players can now filter the server list using different parameters (ping, PunkBuster, game mode, dedicated, server name, number of players, ranked/unranked).
The IEDs are now destructible by shooting on them or throwing a grenade close to them.
In ranked matches, players can now play more than one match on the same host.
Added quickmatch to the map download screen. It will matchmake on the selected map.
The distance from a wounded teammate is now displayed.
The host can now select a VIP before starting the match.
It is now possible to use the use_clan_tag command.
Fixed a bug with clan tag and multiple clients
Multiplayer: Minimum players numbers default setting is now 4
Fixed some unrepresentative text in the scoreboard.
Added text to display distance when teamate is down
Fix a freeze issue in match list if the player press ESC after trying to enter in a match with a password.

Tomb Raider: Underworld Update Released

Updates to Tomb Raider: Underworld have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes include:

Fixed inability of users to map the mouse buttons.
Fixed inability of users to map the â€˜center cameraâ€™ button.
Some occasional crash fixes.
Improved graphics card stability:
- A change to re-enable use of some graphics card features on ATI hardware, with their latest drivers.
- Progress has been made towards addressing stalling on GeForce 6/7 series hardware.
Fixed compatibility issues with certain Realtek sound drivers which could cause crashes.
Autosaves now made for each chapter. Number of save slots is increased to accommodate these.
Fixed bug with ramp not raising in Xibalba.
Fixed black screen deadlock when skipping doppelganger cinematic.
Fixed issue with door lever at Kraken room entrance.
Fixed occasional control issue during headshot move.
Fixed an occasional problem when entering a save game filename.
Some PDA fixes.
Some cinematic subtitle fixes.

Europa Universalis: Rome - Gold Edition Now Available on Steam

Europa Universalis: Rome - Gold Edition includes Europa Universalis: Rome and the Expansion Pack, Europa Universalis: Rome - Vae Victis. Vae Victis features a massive number of additions and improvements to Europa Universalis: Rome, a game that was already one of the most prominent to depict that era in the widest scope.

10% off until December 31st!

Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Now Available on Steam

You may already know Strong Bad from his regular appearances answering emails and doling out not-so-useful advice on Homestarrunner.com. Now he's the star of a five episode comedy series, Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People. It's like a Strong Bad cartoon on steroids. As Strong Bad would say, what the crap are you waiting for?

Penguins Arena: Sedna's World Available Now

It's that snowy time of year here, so its only appropriate that we release this snowy, First Penguin Shooter Penguins Arena: Sedna's World. Join the snowball battle and drive the other penguin tribes into the sea with this thrilling and innovative game.

European Local Currency Available

Products on Steam are now priced using local currency in the United Kingdom (Pounds Sterling), and Europe (Euros). All other countries remain in United States Dollars.

Sacred 2 Update Released

Updates to Sacred 2 have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes include:

New area with 24 aboveground sectors and about 6 additional underground sectors
New textures and objects to create a snowy landscape
Additional sounds for the snowy landscape
20 new creatures
New NPCs
New full quest chain
Additional armor set for each character
New armor items and weapons

Fixes:

It was not possible to load an old save after patching, if the character in the old save had an item in their hand (held by the mouse pointer) at the time the save occurred.
Characters over lvl 61 were unable to create game channels (only able to join them).
Sometimes after rebirth at a resurrection monolith, the character started at an incorrect position on the map leading to a dead end.
The fourth Guardian of the Big Machine could sometimes be killed while it still idled. This skipped the end boss fight.
Crystal Monster: The lightbeam adjustment didn't rotate which led to confusion about why the hero was stunned When tabbing out of the game then going back, the position of the mounted hero had changed.
Temple Guardian's "Amplifying Discharge" with Mods 1b & 2b " Ricochet": Rebounding projectiles did not cause further damage after the first rebound.
Temple Guardian's "Combat Alert" with Mod 1a "Assault": The increase in attack value was not shown on the tooltip.
Temple Guardian's "Dedicated Blow": The damage conversion for 'prone to ice' for fire elementals converted damage into poison.
High Elf's "Blazing Tempest" dealt too much damage.
High Elf's "Fire Demon" with just achieved mod "Enliven": The increased damage was only visible after changing the CA slots. New damage is now instantly shown.
High Elf's "Glacial Thorns" dealt too much damage and caused massive frame rate fall off when used on bosses.
The "Fire Demon" and "Moribund Animus" buffs restarted automatically. Now you need to reactivate them again manually.
Inquisitorâ€˜s "Ruthless Mutilation" didn't work properly with ranged weapons.
Shadow Warrior's "Rallied Souls" with Mod 1a "Armament" resistance values were too high.
Seraphim's "Archangel's Wrath" with Mod 1b "Salve": Additional fireball was added but damage didn't decrease.
At the end of a combat-art move the Dryad erroneously shot another round of shuriken/knifes.
Dryad's Hireling "Moribund Animus" no longer lies down every few seconds.
It was possible to forge high-level items into low-level weapons and armor. This could lead to overpowered items. Now the highest level of the forged items will be the new level of the item.
Slot boni on forged items didn't work properly. Now silver slots give 7 % bonus and gold slots give 15 % bonus.
Item bonus "+x to all CA's" didn't work correctly.
Monster attacks had a motionblur-effect that lasted too long.
The audio option "Character Effects on Center" had no effect on playback in 5.1 surround sound.
Several sound issues fixed for boss music, deathsplatter-effect and unique items.
Missing sound profiles added for T-mutant Human and High Elves as well as for new mini-bosses.
All sounds were initiated with a short snapping sound.
Singleplayer CoOp: When you started an SP game and opened the game as MP, the server started without a name. Now the name is CharacternameXXXX where XXXX stands for a random 4 digit number.
Rivers had dust clouds instead of water splashes.
Inventory picture for "Celdrahil's Gloves" was missing.

Garry's Mod Update Released

Updates to Garry's Mod have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes include:

Garry's Mod

Fixed huge SWEP prediction errors
Fixed color_correction watching the wrong player
Fixed low FPS and checker when missing underwater overlay
Fixed broken seat pose after duplication
Prevented props from distance fading in DX7 mode
Fixed fast weapon firing exploit by switching weapons
Disabled RT creation via GetRenderTarget (Speeds up loadtimes dramatically)
Fixed maps with uppercase names not getting categorized properly
Fixed exploits (thanks AzuiSleet)
Disabled weapons auto reloading while holstered
Fixed free roaming spectators colliding with ladders
Removed console spam on high speed player
Fixed secondary ammo not showing

Penguins Arena: Sedna's World Now Available for Pre-purchase

Join the snowball battle and drive the other penguin tribes into the sea with Penguins Arena, a thrilling and innovative First Penguin Shooter. Pre-purchase today and save 20%. Available for play on Thursday, Dec 18.

Defense Grid: The Awakening Update Released

Updates to Defense Grid have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes include:

Defense Grid: The Awakening

Fixed a rare problem in which some systems would play the game and see a solid color instead of the level.

Made the Siege Breaker achievement obtainable.

Corrected the accumulation of the stats: Spires Encountered and Total Aliens Encountered.

Adjusted the in game resource counter to allow for 7 digits instead of 6.

Corrected a bug dealing with the accumulation of interest when using checkpoints or saving/loading near the end of a level.

Team Fortress 2 Update Released

Updates to Team Fortress 2 have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes include:

Team Fortress 2

Fixed overheal particle effect showing up incorrectly on disguised or cloaked spies
Changed the achievement tracker to only be available in Team Fortress 2
Added new teleporter sounds for upgrade levels 2 and 3
Fixed engineers being able to upgrade the bomb cart's dispenser found in Payload levels
Fixed bomb cart's dispenser being solid to players and projectiles

Aquaria Swims Onto Steam

The award-winning indie game Aquaria is now available on Steam. Join Naija, a lone underwater adventurer, as she travels from hidden caves shrouded in darkness, to beautiful, sunlit oases in search of her past. She'll uncover hidden treasures, explore uncharted waters, and do battle with massive underwater beasts to learn the truth about her family and reveal the secret of Aquaria.

More Crazy Machines on Steam

A new add-on for Crazy Machines 2, the wacky contraptions game from Viva Media, is now available. The original version of Crazy Machines and Crazy Machines 1.5 are now available via Steam as well.

Buy any of these packages before the end of the year and save up to 50% off.

New Steam Hardware Survey Online

Now Reporting Monthly Trend Data

December 12, 2008 - Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Half-Life and Counter-Strike) and advanced technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced the re-launch of its long-running hardware survey produced via Steam, a leading online platform for the distribution and management of PC games with over 15 million accounts worldwide.

The new version of the Steam Hardware Survey tracks hardware adoption behavior by collecting data on a monthly basis directly from computers running Steam. Today's re-launch of the public survey results includes data collected since June of this year, and reveals adoption trends from the past six months. The results are now updated on a monthly basis and allow readers to view specific reports of interest.

The survey was first conducted in March of 2004, when Steam made its commercial debut with the launch of Counter-Strike: Condition Zero. Since then, Steam has collected data from over 8 million PCs. In addition to allowing individual gamers to compare their computers to those of the community at large, the Steam Hardware Survey has become an industry touchstone, providing valuable insight for companies across the software industry.

For more information or to view the survey, please visit http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey

Team Fortress 2 Update Released

Updates to Team Fortress 2 have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes include:

Team Fortress 2

The Engineer's teleporters can now be upgraded to level three. It will recharge faster the higher level it is
The Engineer's dispensers can now be upgraded to level three. It will give out metal and heal faster as it is upgraded
Spies will be able to recharge their cloaking ability by picking up ammo off of the ground or from health cabinets
Some changes to the second part of the first stage of Goldrush to give the attackers more of an advantage
Any weapons that fire bullets (shotguns, sniper's machine gun, heavy's minigun, etc.) can now break apart the Demoman's stickybombs
The icon on the HUD for a person calling for Medic will now give more information to the medic (if the target is low on health, on fire, etc.)
Added an achievement tracker that will allow people to choose specific achievements that they are trying to get
There is now a custom icon for death messages when the player was killed from a critical hit
Added a new particle effect for when a player enters the water
Added smoke to the feet of a rocket jumping soldier
Players will now have some particles swirling around them so other players can see when they are overhealed

World of Goo - Now Available Worldwide

The popular indie game World of Goo is now available for customers worldwide. Drag and drop living, squirming, talking, globs of goo to build structures, bridges, cannonballs, zeppelins, and giant tongues.

Prince of Persia Now Available

The critically acclaimed Prince of PersiaÂ® franchise returns with an all-new epic journey. With a whole new Prince, storyline, open world environments, combat style, signature illustrative graphical style and the addition of Elika, a deadly new ally, Prince of Persia brings the franchise to new heights of deadly acrobatic artistry.

Prince of Persia is now available on Steam for customers in North, Central, and South America.

X3: Terran Conflict Update

It has been quite a wait but finally, the 1.3 Update for X3: Terran Conflict is here. It comes with new features which will keep you happy and the usual bug squashing mayhem.

The Update fixes many issues which have been bothering you as well as adding new features. We also listened to player feedback and rebalanced the game accordingly. A big thank you to everyone who aided us in investigating some of these issues. Here is a brief summary of the changes:

New commands for controling Freight Drones

Improved Shipyard trade menu

Rebalanced mission enemies and rewards

Mission guidance can now be disabled

A new capital ship makes an appearence in some missions

Many more fixes and improvements

Race - The WTCC Game Update Released

Updates to Race - The WTCC Game have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes include:

Race - The WTCC Game

Increased network play stability
New info screen in main menu
Russian localisation fixes
Fixed dedicated server live reporter settings UI
Fixed bug with heavy CPU usage in offline mode

Project Aftermath Update Released

Updates to Project Aftermath have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes include:

Project Aftermath

All new Challenge Mode: 20 challenges full of heart-stopping action, designed to test your skills to the limit
All new Tactical Deployment System: create turrets, deploy grunt-hunting drones, call for backup, request equipment changes mid-mission and more...
Campaign levels reworked to incorporate the Tactical Deployment System

Defense Grid: The Awakening Now Available

Defense Grid: The Awakening is now available on Steam for $19.99 worldwide. Defend your base from the hordes of invading enemies by strategically building fortification towers in this new 'tower defense' game from indie developer Hidden Path Entertainment.

Left 4 Dead Update Released

Updates to Left 4 Dead have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes include:

Left 4 Dead

Fixed Infected Players melee pushing large objects to block the survivors path
Fixed +lobby exploit
Fixed exploit of "hugging" the Witch from behind where she can't hit you
Fixed players not being kicked from a vote by changing their name before it succeeds
Disabled difficulty change votes from the console in versus mode

Buccaneer Sails Onto Steam

Will you become the world's greatest and most feared pirate captain, or will you let your infamy ebb away and risk mutiny at the hands of your bloodthirsty crew? Try your hand as a captain on the Caribbean with Buccaneer. Now available worldwide on Steam for just $19.99.