Currently new users can purchase the game directly via Steam for 30 bucks.
Via the website widget its 25 bucks and includes a DRM free version and a steam key (correct me if I’m wrong)
This could lead to some ruffled feathers. I’d be a little miffed if I realised after I had purchased the game on steam, I could have bought it cheaper on SH.net and got a DRM free version thrown in!
Perhaps it’s time to retire the DRM free version as a focus point (not discontinue for existing backers) and focus on the steam platform?
I would possibly agree with this, but I don’t see why Stonehearth would need to be an exception to many other games. I bought the Witcher 3 through GoG.com to avoid DRM when i could have easily just bought it on Steam and not had access to the DRM free game.
Though i see what you mean, i don’t see a reason to purchase it on steam if you can get both DRM free and steam on the website.
Okay, Steam tax must be hitting me, because it’s 18.99 GBP through steam which is 30 bucks…
Either way, my point still stands. It costs me, as a European, 30 bucks to buy the game through Steam, and only 25 bucks to buy it via the widget, and I get a DRM version thrown in for free.
I never said discontinue, in fact, I said don’t discontinue for existing backers. I just think that the widget should get you a steam key, for future purchases.
People are already asking on the steam forums where their DRM free version is, not realising that they wont get one, even though they paid the same price, or more in some cases, than via the website.
Hm, it was our intention to sell the game for the same price in both places; in fact, if you are on Steam, you are not allowed to sell your game anywhere else for less than the Steam price. Nobody is allowed to undercut Steam! Are you sure that buying the game via stonehearth.net yields a lower total price? If so, it may be the result of taxes, currency, or other things outside our control.
We do not intend to ruffle any feathers, we just offer the game in 2 locations: Steam and Humble Bundle (via both Humble’s page and our widget). In both locations, we package the game as is standard on either location (for the same price). (Update: Some people seem to think that the Steam version has DRM, because you need to be signed into Steam to play Steam games, but our goal was to never put any kind of DRM on SH to start with, so retiring the direct download version seems a little weird to us.) There are many people who could not buy the game via Humble Bundle (for payment option reasons) who told us they would only buy it on Steam, so hopefully the two versions offer more options for more people.
Thanks for letting us know about the perceived difference though! We’ll try to let people know that our intent was for the two versions to be equal in price.
@Froggy, thanks for the breakdown! Good to know. It’s interesting that Steam has more taxes than Humble Bundle. From our POV, it’s very hard to tell what the final price will be to anyone from anywhere outside the US, since we don’t see that money anyway.
For the DRM at least, Tony reminded me that the files distributed by Steam are themselves, DRM free. So theoretically, you could just copy them out of the SH folder and run them somewhere else. Can someone verify whether this works?
Well i can say that i payd about 30 USD on when i buy the game, this cost me in taxes 115 BRL reais (Brasil currency) and today on Steam it would go by 45,99 BRL. So i can say that someplaces Steam is way more easy to buy a digital game
The only DRM associated with the steam version is that you need an account and have payed money to download it. Once Stonehearth is downloaded through steam, you can close steam down and never open it again. You just click on Stonehearth.exe in its folder and it will run without ever talking to steam.
That’s exactly the same level of DRM as buying it from humble bundle or from this website.
I realise this has been said some number of times in this thread, but it bears stating clearly.
))
