# Steam summer sale and activities are here! (June 30-July 10) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 1, 2011, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448 "2011-07-01T00:21:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448/201 "2011-07-11T16:40:35Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Everything is tied to a particular game, except Alien Breed 2, which is the whole game for free, but it’s probably pretty crap. Figure out what game you’re most likely to have and spend it there, and if you won’t get any of them, get the free game I suppose. Fair point. I grabbed the game. From the trailers and screenshots, it doesn’t look all that bad (for a free game), but…did they even _try_ to hide the fact that they were ripping off _Alien_/_Aliens_? ---
**Author:** ![MJinks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@MJinks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MJinks)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448/202 "2011-07-11T16:57:32Z")
I ended up grabbing: Assassins Creed Collection Cities XL 2011 Heroes V pack. F1 2010 Lara Croft GoL Lead and Gold Magicka Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 (overpriced still but…) Sims 3: Generations Titan Quest & IT UFO: Extraterrestrials Along with 4 or 5 indie games. I didn’t care much about the daily achievements and only got enough tickets to claim the X3:TC missions. At current speeds it will take until the Winter sale to download them all… ---
**Author:** ![Darkhold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@Darkhold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkhold)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448/203 "2011-07-11T17:02:07Z")
I ended up with 40 tickets. There was one ticket I could have gotten but didn’t bother. Here’s my ‘haul’ **Hamilton’s Great Adventure** (alright little game) **Hoard** (Sucks) **Sanctum** (best so far) **Hitman Collection** (I own all of these games. Why must I own them on Steam?) **Paradox Fantasy Pack** (I really only wanted Majesty 2 but that was £10 for the complete pack yet the Paradox pack was £5. I hope these crappy looking elf games are fun) **Recettear** (someone from SomethingAwful gifted me this for free) Ticket buys **Spacechem** Mission (didn’t really want but I own the game and needed to use the tickets) **Guardians of Grax** or whatever. Don’t have the game. Needed to use the tickets **Killing Floor** (own the game just wanted to get rid of tickets) **Ares** (own the game. Looked mildly interesting) **Magicka** (don’t own the game. Might buy it in the future) **Serious 8** (own the game just wanted to get rid of tickets) **Fate of the World** (like Magicka) **Beat Hazard** (mildly interesting) **X3** (mildly interesting I have hopes I will get interested in X again) Shades for **TF** (own the game just wanted to get rid of tickets) **Portal 2** (own the game just wanted to get rid of tickets) **Alien Breed** (because what the hell. Free game). ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448/204 "2011-07-11T17:05:22Z")
> [@MJinks](#): > > At current speeds it will take until the Winter sale to download them all… For a couple minutes one of my downloads said it had an estimated time of 291 days. (which dropped to 4 hours) ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448/205 "2011-07-11T17:10:50Z")
It’ll clear up in a few days. If you want, you can go into your steam settings and pick a different content server, others may be faster. I’ve never run into those problems - at the bottom end I get at least 500K/s, and up to 1.5MB/s or so during the sales. During non-sale times I can get up to 4MB/s. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448/206 "2011-07-11T17:31:10Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Everything is tied to a particular game, except Alien Breed 2, which is the whole game for free, but it’s probably pretty crap. Figure out what game you’re most likely to have and spend it there, and if you won’t get any of them, get the free game I suppose. Eh, don’t knock it. Alien Breed was originally released for free a year or two ago to entice people onto Steam, and while it was a _short_ game, and kind of shallow, it wasn’t bad. Alien Breed 2 is probably entertaining enough considering it’s free. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448/207 "2011-07-11T17:36:26Z")
That’s _Alien Swarm_ you’re thinking of, I think. Which was some sort of side project by some people at valve. They look similar, but I’d imagine Alien Swarm is of higher quality. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448/208 "2011-07-11T17:46:45Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > That’s _Alien Swarm_ you’re thinking of, I think. Which was some sort of side project by some people at valve. They look similar, but I’d imagine Alien Swarm is of higher quality. Ooops, damn. You’re right. They do look alike, enough that when I looked at screenshots of _Alien Breed_ they did nothing to make me think that it wasn’t the game I was thinking of. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448/209 "2011-07-11T17:48:17Z")
My haul: Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West Borderlands GOTY Braid Half-Life 2: Episode One Half-Life 2: Episode Two Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword Rift Portal 2 X3: Terran Conflict Garry’s Mod Hopefully, I’ll get to play most of them by December. ---
**Author:** ![CapnPitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@CapnPitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CapnPitt)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448/210 "2011-07-11T18:04:17Z")
My haul: HOARD Dragon Age: Origins - Ultimate Edition Guardians of Graxia (game and map pack) (I’ve put a ton of hours into it for under $3…well worth it). Company of Heroes Gold Worms Reloaded PAM Terraria X3: Terran Conflict Just Cause 2 ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448/211 "2011-07-11T18:09:06Z")
I only wanted to get Batman. I got: -King’s Bounty -Batman -Fallout -Fallout New Vegas -Terraria So not bad; made it out with less than $50. But still more than I meant to spend. Damn you Steam! ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448/212 "2011-07-11T18:19:00Z")
I managed to show some restraint this time around, if only because this is I’ve gone through several of these sales before. Bioshock 2 ($5) Braid ($2.50) King’s Bounty collection (2 games plus an expansion) ($7) X3: Terran Conflict ($5) I think I’m starting to get the hang of X3TC. I had a slow start trying to get into trading until I realized that (at least if you choose the Terran Defender start) you can sell your first ship for enough money to buy a light freighter. Get a few speed and software upgrades and the travel time is tolerable, even though scoping out local prices without switching off the SETA is a bit awkward. Anyone got any early money-making tips? Is it worth getting into asteroid mining? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448/213 "2011-07-11T18:29:51Z")
Let’s see: Just Cause 2 + DLC Battlefront 2 (not worth $2.50 IMO) Magicka Plants vs Zombies Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money & Honest Hearts Beat Hazard (an epileptic’s nightmare) Sanctum (two copies) C&C: Red Alert 3 + expansion Portal 2 PAM Almost $70, all told. Not too bad considering that expanded my list by a significant amount (I have a whole 51 games now; I just don’t buy them that often). I do regret not picking up Arkham Asylum or Worms Reloaded, but I’m pretty sure the games I have will keep me busy until the Christmas sale and they’ll be on sale or discounted by then. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448/214 "2011-07-11T18:33:05Z")
Looks like they have a last day sale on [publisher packs](http://store.steampowered.com/sale/Summer2011Packs). The THQ pack is really good, as is the Valve pack if you don’t have a lot of valve games. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448/215 "2011-07-11T18:35:47Z")
I find it hilarious that the PopCap pack is one of the more expensive packs. And it’s probably one of the most popular even then. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448/216 "2011-07-11T18:40:19Z")
It was $50 before, I bought it for my mom. It’s a pretty big starter pack for casual players, but yeah it’s overpriced at $75. $50 would be good. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448/217 "2011-07-11T18:45:53Z")
I was actually holding back this sale and not buying anything I was remotely interested in. I mean, I’ve already got 200 games I haven’t touched - logically I shouldn’t be so anxious to pile on more. But it’s hard to resist when it’s staring you in the face. So my take: DOW 2: Retribution (but I snuck in the 15 minute period it was $7.50) Post Apocalyptic Mayhem 3 pack Terraria at $2.50 before it was bumped up Fallout 3 GOTY Worms Reloaded Sanctum Beat Hazard Ultra Civ 5 Denmark and Explorers pack King Arthur - druids dlc STALKER Call of Pripyat DAO: Ultimate edition (best deal of the sale, or maybe Trine at $2 or Torchlight at $3) Magica dlc HOARD Heroes pack (HOMM games) SW Battlefront 2 And Kinthalis bought me F1 2010. Because he deemed a game would be worth double the cost if it meant you’d have the priviledge of playing with me. And he’s right. Let that be a lesson: if you buy a game you can play together, buy me a copy too and you will more than double the awesomeness of the gameplay experience. Anyway, that’s my intentionally limiting myself reduced take. I’d have bought more except with my 400+ games I already owned most of the good stuff on sale as it is. Wheeee. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448/218 "2011-07-11T19:17:25Z")
I got: Civ V DLC (not the Daily Deal, as mentioned previously) Defense Grid + Map Packs Just Cause 2 Monday Night Combat Napoleon Peninsular Campaign DLC Sam & Max, the whole damn thing SpaceChem Trine In terms of hours-played to money-spent, the best deal was probably SpaceChem. Those puzzles are HARD. I ended up with 18 tickets. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448/219 "2011-07-12T05:04:02Z")
Took some video of [coop Sanctum](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mvauC5ehSY) if anyone wants to see what that’s like. (Why yes, a beefy cpu has made me go on an overkill frapsing spree!) ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448/220 "2011-07-12T21:53:39Z")
I’m always curious to see how many games everyone has and how it grows over time, so I created the [steam game count poll](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=616048) for after this summer sale. Please participate even if you have a relatively small game count. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-summer-sale-and-activities-are-here-june-30-july-10/587448.md?page=12)