I have at least 200 gb each month... no TV at home, only digital streaming... same for radio... as for film, they are cheaper online ( 1 euro ) that in rental video ( min 3 euro ) or cinema ( min 12 euro )... a good quality rented film is a huge download, bigger that a DVD capacity when you have a 1080p AC3 version with multiple language...

Game is one time download, some can be huge like shogun II who was over 15gb... but again, it is only one time...

I don't see how arguing with us helps your interests as its Stardock we're trying to talk to.

Well in may not be exactly with Oblivion but rather that the steam version broke a community script extender enhancement (OBSE), which many mods are built on top of. I think someone eventually made a version for steam but I still see some confusion with modding issues with the steam version on GameFaqs.

I had never heard of steam workshop until that Rebellion interview when it was revealed steamworks would be in Rebellion, and am still a little fuzzy on what it is.

Blizzard did something similar to this with their StarCraft2 in game lobby for custom maps and some mods to large success.

Ok, I am new to the forums (Sort of) however when it comes down to it Game Development is a Multi-Billion dollar business. Star Dock is a company and they need to make money or games that we all love and still love will find a new "home" and when i say home I am not talking about a loving one like star dock is. I am talking about companies like Activision, EA and others who will make bad rip offs year after year...

With that said - Steam is a very very nice alternative compared to Secure rom, TAGES, and other DRM software. On top of that Steam works is free for the developers who have partnered with Steam/Valve. On top of everything STEAM is one (If not the) of the most used Digital Distribution platforms in the world.

I for one do not see why people on this forum hate steam so much. Care to enlighten me?

How exactly is that different from just browsing the web and/or posting on forums (hell..even these).  You think data isn't collected about you even right this second?  Even the most rudimentary web stat-tracking can tell you not only the IP of the local machine but the browser type, version and installed addons, OS version and in some cases patch-level as well as other data specific to your system.  Don't even get me started about using 'proxies' and/or 'advanced' firewalls to try to stop it.

My point is, just being here typing to us is in effect exposing you to data-collection (and not just by SD), by each and every router-hop between you and the SD server hosting these forums.

What could STEAM possibly be 'collecting' that even comes close to being more important (to your person) than that which can be (and probably already is) collected by anything on the line between your PC and the 'internet'?

Before now, Stardock (at least with Sins) used no DRM except restricting access to their excellent post releases patches. No SecRom, no internet connection, if you didn't want patches you didn't even need a client program. And even if you did for most of Sins' history that client was the Stardock owned Impulse. Things naturally got messy when they sold Impulse, but it seemed like with the announcement of a Stardock store that we'd be able to get our patches directly from Stardock once again. Instead it seems to be going through steam, which is a third party and additional DRM we haven't had to deal with before.

I realize that, but that still doesn't change the fact that steam is more DRM that I have now. I may end up using it but I am most displeased Stardock is forcing me to switch to it for any reason.

Which is a huge problem if you don't always have internet...

You can run it in OFFLINE mode without an internet connection. Though i do understand your point if your internet goes out before you can switch it to offline mode. Then you're screwed.

Nowhere did I say I do not value my privacy.  As I stated (in my opinion) the average joe's 'privacy' is in much greater danger just by browsing the web than it ever could be by running STEAM.  You claim that an 'oblivious stance by the majority' will present problems stemming from the lack of privacy-control.  I present that there are far far greater threats to one's privacy being engaged in every day by all of us therefore I find the anti-STEAM movement (as it pertains to privacy woes) a moot point.

1.  Do you use your computer from a "least-priviledge" stance in everyday computing?  (le. do you never browse the internet using an account with admin credentials)

2.  Do you never use online stores?

3.  Do you use open/clear transport for your email or is all transport encrypted for all of your email traffic?  (meaning the authentication and transport of all email to/from your email provider)

4.  Do you use any social media or VOIP programs, IRC etc. etc. at all (even under fake names etc.)

5.  Do you never hand out your email address to anyone unless they promise to never add it to a 'contact list' just incase their system gets compromised and someone ends up with some means to begin tracking you?

This list could go on and on..........and on this list.....(at least in my opinion).......STEAM (and software like it) is maybe at location 50 (for example) with regard to potential threat to one's privacy. 

Especially point #1 if you aren't doing that, you yourself are a larger threat to your own privacy than STEAM ever could be.  So unless (again in my opinion) you are closing the doors on the other 49 (number for example) doors to your privacy, STEAM in my opinion won't even get the chance to threaten your privacy.

Nothing STEAM does (it allows you to keep all games on one account, tracks your game performance...if you are signed into "steamworks" and allows as much or as little social interaction between players as you allow) even comes close to having the kind of potential threat to our own privacy as we the computer users ourselves on an everyday basis.  That (at least in the many years of my experience dealing with internet security for my clients) has been proven to me time and again.

EDIT:

Having said all of this, I do know that there are people for whom STEAM has been a less than happy experience.  Nothing I've posted is meant to take anything away from their experience and I can only hope that (as STEAM does get constant updates etc.) that their future experiences not be problematic.  Things in our world continue to evolve, and gaming being dependent on (and integrated into) a digital platform so as to serve most (if not all) of the customer's needs/wants under one roof is the future.

Have know the problem last sunday with Total War medieval II... lost the connection and end up with something like "Steam error : application unavailable. please try at a later time" !!!

Well, people trying today to order Rebellion at https://store.stardock.com/product/ESD-SDE-W011 and don't yet knowing about these steam thing via these forum will be very unhappy...

The sale page is speaking of :

Impulse::Reactor support for chat, friends, achievements and more.

No mention at all of the now obligatory steamwork... lucky that they have not yet charge people else it will be was we call in France a "publicité mensongère"... good for 2 year jail max for Stardock and 37500 euro max for each guy who complain... pretty sure that US have similar law at national or/and state level...

So, i advice Stardock to modify their store page as fast as possible and inform the people who have already place a pre-order about the change from Impulse to Steam... once beta start and people are charged for the game, it will be to late and some people will be able to sue Stardock for false advertising...better act now that suffer later...

French law article ( have similar one in almost all European country ), in blue, what apply to the Rebellion case once the financial transaction is executed :

Selon l'article L121-1 du code de la consommation (loi 2008-776 du 4 août 2008) :

I.- Une pratique commerciale est trompeuse si elle est commise dans l'une des circonstances suivantes :

    * 1° Lorsqu'elle crée une confusion avec un autre bien ou service, une marque, un nom commercial, ou un autre signe distinctif d'un concurrent ;

    * 2° Lorsqu'elle repose sur des allégations, indications ou présentations fausses ou de nature à induire en erreur et portant sur l'un ou plusieurs des éléments suivants :

    *
          o a) L'existence, la disponibilité ou la nature du bien ou du service ;
          o Les caractéristiques essentielles du bien ou du service, à savoir : ses qualités substantielles, sa composition, ses accessoires, son origine, sa quantité, son mode et sa date de fabrication, les conditions de son utilisation et son aptitude à l'usage, ses propriétés et les résultats attendus de son utilisation, ainsi que les résultats et les principales caractéristiques des tests et contrôles effectués sur le bien ou le service ;
          o c) Le prix ou le mode de calcul du prix, le caractère promotionnel du prix et les conditions de vente, de paiement et de livraison du bien ou du service ;
          o d) Le service après-vente, la nécessité d'un service, d'une pièce détachée, d'un remplacement ou d'une réparation ;
          o e) La portée des engagements de l'annonceur, la nature, le procédé ou le motif de la vente ou de la prestation de services ;
          o f) L'identité, les qualités, les aptitudes et les droits du professionnel ;
          o g) Le traitement des réclamations et les droits du consommateur ;

    * 3° Lorsque la personne pour le compte de laquelle elle est mise en œuvre n'est pas clairement identifiable.

II.- Une pratique commerciale est également trompeuse si, compte tenu des limites propres au moyen de communication utilisé et des circonstances qui l'entourent, elle omet, dissimule ou fournit de façon inintelligible, ambiguë ou à contretemps une information substantielle ou lorsqu'elle n'indique pas sa véritable intention commerciale dès lors que celle-ci ne ressort pas déjà du contexte.

Dans toute communication commerciale constituant une invitation à l'achat et destinée au consommateur mentionnant le prix et les caractéristiques du bien ou du service proposé, sont considérées comme substantielles les informations suivantes :

    * 1° Les caractéristiques principales du bien ou du service ;

    * 2° L'adresse et l'identité du professionnel ;

    * 3° Le prix toutes taxes comprises et les frais de livraison à la charge du consommateur, ou leur mode de calcul, s'ils ne peuvent être établis à l'avance ;

    * 4° Les modalités de paiement, de livraison, d'exécution et de traitement des réclamations des consommateurs, dès lors qu'elles sont différentes de celles habituellement pratiquées dans le domaine d'activité professionnelle concerné ;

    * 5° L'existence d'un droit de rétractation, si ce dernier est prévu par la loi.

Not if it have fail before...  first a successful offline switch is needed...

And restart the PC is not a simple solution in my case... at boot time, i end up 4 time on 5 with a BSOD on windows ( no problem with Linux ) due to a conflict in protected memory between windows,steam, and my raid system...

Correct, however Valve worked directly with Bethesda and the OBSE authors and patched the EXE over 3 years ago so that OBSE works fine with the Steam version.

Someone else responded and they are correct.  It's a built in mod database for a game where users with no clue how to install mods can download, install and try mods.  So with Skyrim you can browse and download hundreds of mods via the Steam Workshop.  Or you can download them and install manually from Elder Scrolls Nexus or Planet Elder Scrolls as you have for over a decade.  Similar would be if they integrate Steam Workshop with Sins in that you can install a mod easily from that or install a mod manually as you always have.  It all works.