# The 2013 Steam Summer Sale has begun! **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 11, 2013, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235 "2013-07-11T17:18:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235/21 "2013-07-12T00:51:45Z")
I was looking for this thread specifically to ask about Endless Space, but it already sounds like I should pick it up. Boom, ordered. I also grabbed the big version of Skyrim. $35 seems like a small price to pay for a game I’ll likely get many hours of entertainment out of. Any other big games to keep an eye on? ---
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235/22 "2013-07-12T00:55:22Z")
This may be a dumb question, but in looking at my Steam library, I see I can now install Bioshock Infinite on my Mac. However, Steam doesn’t say it’s a Mac-compatible game, so if I were to install it, would it actually work? I assume yes, since why else would they give me the install option, but it’s worth asking you guys to check before committing to a long download. I’ve already got it installed on my PC partition, so no big deal either way, but I’d definitely prefer playing it on my Mac side. ---
**Author:** ![Apocalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235/23 "2013-07-12T02:15:06Z")
I just got **X-Com: Enemy Unknown** for my birthday, my wife found a deal on Amazon that had X-Com, **Civ IV deluxe** , AND **Civ V** for $20. I never played the Civilization series, hey, free games, right? While downloading that from Steam, I saw an RPG called **Krater** that I’d downloaded the demo for a while back but never played. So I played the demo and wound up buying Krater for $15. 4 new games, I’m set for a while, right? Nope… We’ve been talking about the television show **Defiance** after the season finale this week, and I mentioned how the game ties in with the show. Checked out Steam today and the game was on sale for $13.49. She told me to get it, because she wants to check it out and see how it ties into the show. Also picked up **Trine 2** , **Legend of Grimrock** , and **The Cave** for cheap. I’m also considering getting Unepic for $7.99 ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235/24 "2013-07-12T02:26:11Z")
> [@Astral\_Rejection](#): > > This may be a dumb question, but in looking at my Steam library, I see I can now install Bioshock Infinite on my Mac. However, Steam doesn’t say it’s a Mac-compatible game, so if I were to install it, would it actually work? I assume yes, since why else would they give me the install option, but it’s worth asking you guys to check before committing to a long download. > > I’ve already got it installed on my PC partition, so no big deal either way, but I’d definitely prefer playing it on my Mac side. Surprisingly, Wikipedia says it’s OS X. I don’t believe Steam locks out platforms if it’s available. But really, click install and see what happens! If downloads a few Kb, it’s probably okay. ---
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235/25 "2013-07-12T02:52:07Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Surprisingly, Wikipedia says it’s OS X. I don’t believe Steam locks out platforms if it’s available. But really, click install and see what happens! If downloads a few Kb, it’s probably okay. I was all excited, but it doesn’t work. It downloads for a fraction of a second, and then “completes,” but refuses to start, claiming a missing executable. Oh well! ---
**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:** [July 12, 2013, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235/26 "2013-07-12T03:46:30Z")
[Joystiq turned me onto this handy site,](http://steamdb.info/sales/) which tracks Steam sales. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235/27 "2013-07-12T05:20:48Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > Definitely pick up Endless space if the 4X genre interests you. Excellent game, specially after all the free updates and the expansion - which by the way you should pick up. Get the Gold version which includes the expansion and is only a buck and change more! What’s 4X? ---
**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:** [July 12, 2013, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235/28 "2013-07-12T05:55:42Z")
Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate. ---
**Author:** ![Recusant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@Recusant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Recusant)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235/29 "2013-07-12T06:11:44Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > [Joystiq turned me onto this handy site,](http://steamdb.info/sales/) which tracks Steam sales. If you don’t want to limit it to just steam, also check out [www.isthereanydeal.com](http://www.isthereanydeal.com) . It covers a whole bunch of different sites. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235/30 "2013-07-12T07:44:46Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > Definitely pick up Endless space if the 4X genre interests you. Excellent game, specially after all the free updates and the expansion - which by the way you should pick up. Get the Gold version which includes the expansion and is only a buck and change more! > [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > I picked up the vanilla version of _Endless Space_ on sale not too long ago. I like it. It’s a much better spiritual successor to _Master of Orion II_ than _Master of Orion III_. The combat is rather hands-off, but I’ve read that they revamped it in the expansion. I now wish I’d picked up the expansion, because the pricing to buy them separately is weird. I checked three reviews, and they’re mixed, but since SDMB posters generally give good advices, I’m going to give it a shot. I understand I should buy it with the expansion, then…OK… ETA : hmm…Indeed the expansion alone costs almost as much as the gold game which include the expansion. I guess one should never buy a game too early. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235/31 "2013-07-12T08:35:52Z")
OK, I have an issue with the game Endless Space. Possibly not the forum to ask that, but maybe someone will have a clue. I started a new game, and the game called me by default “Clairobscur” (not an example. It used Clairobscur). My problem is the following. Clairobscur isn’t my name on Steam. It isn’t the name of my computer. It isn’t my user name on said computer. I used it, however, on a number of sites (not that many, though, since it’s usually already taken). Questions : How did the game knew to call me “Clairobscur”? Did someone else have a similar experience with this game? ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235/32 "2013-07-12T08:45:28Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Clairobscur isn’t my name on Steam. Are you sure? Not your username, but the Steam nickname? [This thread](http://forums.amplitude-studios.com/showthread.php?5706-Changing-player-name) says that’s where it gets it from. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235/33 "2013-07-12T13:43:35Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > Are you sure? Not your username, but the Steam nickname? [This thread](http://forums.amplitude-studios.com/showthread.php?5706-Changing-player-name) says that’s where it gets it from. Well…Must be that, then. I didn’t know we had an username _and_ a (different) nickname. Or maybe I knew at some point and forgot since. Steam/Settings/Friends… indeed it’s right here : Clairobscur. Thanks for the answer. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235/34 "2013-07-12T18:42:25Z")
Today’s \>75% discount games are: Just Cause 2 Sniper 2 Darksiders 2 The Walking Dead FTL And for the next six hours, you can also get: Legend of Grimrock XCom GTA4 Now that I’ve got an OS that can play Just Cause 2, I’m picking it up and all its DLC for $5, and I’ll grab XCom while I’m at it. ---
**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:** [July 12, 2013, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235/35 "2013-07-12T19:24:48Z")
Nothing makes me love/hate Valve more than the Steam Summer Sale. In a day or two I’ll be getting an email from my ISP telling me that I’m using too much bandwidth and would I like to upgrade to a more expensive plan even though I already _have_ that plan? ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235/36 "2013-07-12T20:00:10Z")
GTA4 + Episodes From Liberty City (The Ballad of Gay Tony AND The Lost and the Damned) for $7.50?! Yes, please! My PS3’s optical drive burned out long ago before \*Episodes \*came out for PS3, and I’ve been dying to play them. But since GTA4 was the only game on disk that I ever bought for the PS3, just to play GTA, I couldn’t justify: - Upgrading the PS3 to a bigger HD, so as to be able to buy the downloadable versions and install them, since my PS3 has such a puny HD capacity. - Pay the price for the downloadable PS3 versions, which are often MORE(!?) expensive than buying on disk. - Then, once my PS3 gives up the ghost or gets tossed in the closet once I eventually get a PS4, I would no longer be able to play/sell/loan/gift those games now trapped on the PS3’s HD. So, GTA for PC it is! Now I’ve just got to get used to playing it on PC, since I’ve never played any GTA game on anything other than Playstations. Anybody know if it’s possible/viable to use a PS3 controller to play GTA4 on the PC? It’s gonna be way weird to try playing with keyboard and mouse, specially for the driving. ---
**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:** [July 12, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235/37 "2013-07-12T20:12:03Z")
_sigh_ I’m betting that Sleeping Dogs is going to win the next vote, which means another huge game that I don’t really have time to play. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235/38 "2013-07-12T21:11:00Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > GTA4 + Episodes From Liberty City (The Ballad of Gay Tony AND The Lost and the Damned) for $7.50?! Yes, please! > > My PS3’s optical drive burned out long ago before \*Episodes \*came out for PS3, and I’ve been dying to play them. But since GTA4 was the only game on disk that I ever bought for the PS3, just to play GTA, I couldn’t justify: > > - Upgrading the PS3 to a bigger HD, so as to be able to buy the downloadable versions and install them, since my PS3 has such a puny HD capacity. > > - Pay the price for the downloadable PS3 versions, which are often MORE(!?) expensive than buying on disk. > > - Then, once my PS3 gives up the ghost or gets tossed in the closet once I eventually get a PS4, I would no longer be able to play/sell/loan/gift those games now trapped on the PS3’s HD. > > So, GTA for PC it is! Now I’ve just got to get used to playing it on PC, since I’ve never played any GTA game on anything other than Playstations. Anybody know if it’s possible/viable to use a PS3 controller to play GTA4 on the PC? It’s gonna be way weird to try playing with keyboard and mouse, specially for the driving. Welcome to PC gaming, where pretty much everything is possible. You CAN use a PS3 controller on your PC if you want. The xbox 360 controller is the go to gamepad for PC, however as it’s literally plug and play. A wired one will work fine. There are wireless versions that work too, but ou need to make sure they are labeled as hybrid or Windows compatible (available at amazon). You cna also use a standard xbox 360 wireless controller, bu you’ll need a $20 adapter (also from amazon). For the PS3 controller you cna use motionjoy: > **[motioninjoy.com - motioninjoy Resources and Information.](http://ww1.motioninjoy.com/download?usid=25&utid=9768317033)** > > motioninjoy.com is your first and best source for all of the information you’re looking for. From general topics to more of what you would expect to find here, motioninjoy.com has it all. We hope you find what you are searching for! You’ll need a bluetooth receiver on your PC though. If you don’t have one, you can get a usb one for $10 bucks. ---
**Author:** ![Orr\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ee59a6/32.png) [@Orr\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orr_G)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235/39 "2013-07-12T21:14:19Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > So, GTA for PC it is! Now I’ve just got to get used to playing it on PC, since I’ve never played any GTA game on anything other than Playstations. Anybody know if it’s possible/viable to use a PS3 controller to play GTA4 on the PC? It’s gonna be way weird to try playing with keyboard and mouse, specially for the driving. Not gonna be much help, but I tried playing GTA4 on the PC with just a keyboard/mouse setup and I never got very far. Combat and driving were just stupid to even attempt for me. I just gave up on it. I have a few console ports that I never got very far on for the same reasons, come to think of it (I remember spending quite a bit of time trying to get Alan Wake to work for me, and none of the suggestions I found did anything for me). Would getting a PS3 or XBox controller be a wise investment for games like this? Or do the problems with these ports go deeper than that? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235/40 "2013-07-12T21:16:26Z")
I plunked down $14 to pick up Defiance, so of course it didn’t work. I created yet another trouble ticket with their support desk to find out what went wrong this time; this is the fourth time (of four purchases) where I had to open a trouble ticket before I could install something I had already paid for. I hate steam but I love their prices… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2013-steam-summer-sale-has-begun/663235.md?page=3)