# Steam Winter Sale **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 19, 2013, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746 "2013-12-19T18:37:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**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:** [December 27, 2013, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746/101 "2013-12-27T01:03:08Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I was wondering the same. The reviews look pretty good. So far it looks all right, although the very first mission doesn’t do quite enough handholding: you need to transport some supplies from one place to another, but the screen with directions disappears after a few seconds, and I spent awhile futzing around trying various techniques before I finally figured out what to do. If they’d just said something like: 1. Click on your wee ship. 2. Right-click up near the building in the northeast. 3. Want some supplies? Click OK. 4. Forget these directions? We’ll repeat them in thirty seconds if you haven’t got it by then. then I would’ve been fine. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746/102 "2013-12-27T02:14:17Z")
I’ve played Anno 2070. I didn’t find it very compelling. You lay out housing, roads, and various resource production facilities. You need specific levels of various resources to keep your residents happy - the higher level they are the more goodies they want. And that’s about it. The limiting factor is simply space. There are a few military units you can build, and there’s potentially conflict but that’s all just a sideshow. You just don’t want your top tier people running short of smartphones and luxury foods, or they’ll leave and then you have to re-jigger your production to get the right balance so they’ll come back. Maybe I missed something. ---
**Author:** ![PacifistPorcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PacifistPorcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PacifistPorcupine)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746/103 "2013-12-27T03:23:52Z")
I picked up SW Battlefront 2. Are there some good mods out there? Improved graphics and whatnot? ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746/104 "2013-12-27T03:41:30Z")
I just bought a game called [galactic civilizations](http://store.steampowered.com/app/202200/) (the complete pack) for $6.24. I haven’t finished installing it yet but reviews compared it to a scifi version of Sid Meier’s civilization series. I’m up to about 400GB of digital games on my laptop due to all these sales, I’m going to have to start moving other stuff to an external HD. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746/105 "2013-12-27T04:22:13Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > I’ve played Anno 2070.[…] > > Maybe I missed something. I don’t think so. I haven’t played 2070, but I have played other games in the series and what you describe is it: expand and develop islands before the other (AI only, in my case) players do. The one I played most had a campaign that acted as an extended tutorial and versus mode that I played a lot more. I’d say that the series comes down on the simulation side of city building and that games could get quite complex, compared to, say, Pharaoh. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746/106 "2013-12-27T04:27:49Z")
I have a soft spot for city builders, so I went ahead and got Anno 2070. Probably won’t get around to playing it for a while, but the next time I have a city sim itch, I have something for it. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746/107 "2013-12-27T13:17:06Z")
So is Anno 2070 more like SimCity, or more like the Caesar series? Or not like either one? ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746/108 "2013-12-27T13:38:43Z")
I’d say it is it’s own thing. The Anno series has been around for quite a while and 2070 is a refinement of previous titles. This review should give some idea: [Anno 2070 Video Review - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1CQKl6QUmk) As the review points out, learning the game can be tricky, which was true for the version I played most. I tried Let’s Plays to get some pointers, although the ones I watched seemed to be more about powergaming than helping beginners. Looks like you can get a demo here easily: [http://anno-game.ubi.com/anno-2070/en-AU/download/index.aspx](http://anno-game.ubi.com/anno-2070/en-AU/download/index.aspx) ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746/109 "2013-12-27T18:47:58Z")
Orcs must die 2 is on sale for $3.74. Totally worth buying. It isn’t as good as Orcs must die 1 but still worth buying. Amazon has borderlands 2 and borderlands GOTY pack for $11.99. [http://www.amazon.com/BORDERLANDS-AND-GOTY-Pack-Download/dp/B00CPBZDQ8/ref=sr\_1\_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1388170121&sr=8-11&keywords=digital+games](http://www.amazon.com/BORDERLANDS-AND-GOTY-Pack-Download/dp/B00CPBZDQ8/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1388170121&sr=8-11&keywords=digital+games) I don’t know though, I’ve got so many FPS that I don’t play, I don’t know if I need another. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746/110 "2013-12-27T20:04:55Z")
Keep in mind that Borderlands 2 doesn’t have the DLCs. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746/111 "2013-12-27T20:16:04Z")
I was just looking at the snow globe graphic on Steam’s store page, and noticed that next to the cheery little snow-bound cabin, is a blood-stained wood chipper. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746/112 "2013-12-27T20:22:33Z")
[QUOTE=Wesley Clark] Orcs must die 2 is on sale for $3.74. Totally worth buying. It isn’t as good as Orcs must die 1 but still worth buying. [/QUOTE] I actually liked the 2nd one better. It’s also part of Steam Workshop, so there are mods and stuff you can get for it. Haven’t played it in a while, but it’s definitely worth $3.74 IMHO ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746/113 "2013-12-27T23:15:34Z")
I bought **Don’t Starve** today for $1.12 and as soon as my purchase was made, the price soared up to the $5 range. I don’t know much about it, but I figure it was worth the small price. I picked up both **Orcs Must Die** from a Humble Bundle. What are they like? What makes them good? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746/114 "2013-12-27T23:50:00Z")
Third person shooter/tower defense. You hold off waves of orcs (plus ogres, trolls, kobolds, etc.) by building a gauntlet of deadly traps, and if any of them survive, you can shoot them in the face with your crossbow before they escape the keep and wreak havoc on the countryside. The action’s really tight, the traps are creative, and it does a great job of giving you a sense of holding off an endless horde by the skin of your teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746/115 "2013-12-28T00:58:36Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I was just looking at the snow globe graphic on Steam’s store page, and noticed that next to the cheery little snow-bound cabin, is a blood-stained wood chipper. It doesn’t in the iPhone app, which confused me upon reading this on my phone and trying to confirm it. The app also doesn’t have the inverted snow globe’s (scroll down past the other deals, to the bottom) extra touch, which is a massive octopus/kraken in the water that’s collected in the top of the snow globe, with its tentacles wrapped around the Steam mascots (?). ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746/116 "2013-12-28T03:09:28Z")
I’m 97 XP short of level 5 and it seems like that prevents me from getting cards/snow globes for voting for the daily poll. I wish there was an easy way to get to the next level. The current game I’m playing is not from Steam, either, so I’m not earning anything there. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746/117 "2013-12-28T03:15:33Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I’m 97 XP short of level 5 and it seems like that prevents me from getting cards/snow globes for voting for the daily poll. I wish there was an easy way to get to the next level. I spent maybe a dollar to buy trading cards for one of my favorite games, then assembled a badge out of them. That got me a decent amount of XP and put me over the top. I got one Snow Globe card right away and the rest the following day. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746/118 "2013-12-28T06:09:38Z")
How do you get all the snow gone Globes in one day? Purchase? For xp, you can do the semi easy parts of that one badge (can’t look up name now). Things like post any random screenshot on your page, take a survey etc. I think I’m level 10 from not really trying. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746/119 "2013-12-28T06:54:01Z")
I’m currently missing Snow Globes #4 and #9. I have extras of #1 and #6. I’m happy to trade! ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746/120 "2013-12-28T13:52:17Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > I spent maybe a dollar to buy trading cards for one of my favorite games, then assembled a badge out of them. That got me a decent amount of XP and put me over the top. > > I got one Snow Globe card right away and the rest the following day. Thanks, I spent 60 cents and earned a badge that put me over the level limit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-winter-sale/676746.md?page=7)