STEAM Vindication!

Ok… so I can’t 100% confirm it was all me… but STEAM fixed the problem! (If you don’t remember, click here and then here.)

Although it’s not ideal, (i.e. you still can’t actually resize the window) they upped the window size to 1024x768 and, so far, I haven’t come across 1 situation where I had to scroll. This is GREAT because it ENORMOUSLY increased the experience. However, it does kinda SUCK because they’ve limited picture sizes to 1024x768. If memory serves, there were some much higher quality pics in the store previously. However, I’m willing to overlook that. You still get a decent browsing experience and the pictures are “good enough.”

Overall, I’m very pleased. I’d like to think that my little spat with tech support had something to do with it. Can I prove it? No… do I have any evidence at all to back that up other than timing? No… do I really think that out of the millions of STEAM users I was the only one to bring up this issue? No… But you know what?

I can’t prove otherwise either…   :)

-Cody

Pissed

So anyone that knows me gets the fact that my life basically revolves around my wife, my dog, and my work. I'm basically a workaholic... But I love the work so im sure that's a big reason why.

I manage this little nothing computer service business that I'm trying to turn into something. I've been at it for 4 years now and we're closer than ever to really taking off. What sucks is it seems like the universe gets off on throwing a wrench in the plan at every opportunity.

We moved to a new location and completely changed our look from the old place. One of the huge perks of the new location was the use of a message board. (This is one of the busiest streets in town.) For a company such as ours, that type of advertisement is HUGE. We can't afford TV or huge billboards... We need every advantage we can get!

Our deal with the landlord was simple. He wanted it to say "For Lease" until he got someone in the space next to us. The letters have been stored in our building. So... He got a renter... So we started using the sign... And now he's promised the renter they can either have the message board or take it out completely and put up their own sign. This is after we've started using it and spent our own money on new letters for it!

People suck.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

STEAM's Response

Ok... so they at least answered my question... Yes, they spoke to me in a politically correct manner like I was an idiotic 4 year old who can drive... but they answered my question.

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Their Response:

Hello,

A staff member has replied to your question:

Hello Cody, Thank you for contacting Steam Support. I apologize for the misunderstanding. The issue you describe is the current intended functionality of the Steam browser. We apologize for the inconvenience.

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I guess the answer to my REAL question... which was simply... "WHY?" is a trade secret or something.

But wait!

Maybe it's a cover up! They know more than they're letting on! The STEAM browser has powers no one knows about! They're actually protecting us from ourselves! A conspiracy of never before seen proportions!

Now stay with me on this one... If it's images were given more than 800 pixels wide it could mean devastation for gamers everywhere! IMAGINE! Images in full screen on computers across the globe! Highly detailed displays of relentless HD quality gaming action! They might sell too much! STEAM servers would be overloaded with too many orders! Too many downloads! A gaming frenzy would take over! Gamers would lose touch with reality! Trillions upon trillions of pixels of pure gaming awesomeness running through the craniums and retinas of hard-core gamers all over the world! The game becomes the reality! What's real anymore!?!?!? It becomes widespread pandemonium!

It starts small...

A Jr. High kid in North Dakota thinks he's Gordon Freeman... he disappears for 8 days until authorities finally find him in the school ventilation system. He's wearing an orange jump suite he got from parties plus and screaming about head crabs in the air ducts. Upon further investigation they find out he's survived off of small rodents he hit with a crowbar he found in his dad's shed.

Weeks later it gets worse...

You hear about a crazy WoW player in England who incinerates 3 innocent people with roman candles while shouting "Fireball! Fireball! Fireball!" He and his accomplice (the emo guy who watched everything while keeping score of damage given/received) are arrested and WoW players across the world unite as they hold a late night vigil to mourn the victims.

And then... the line between the gaming world and the real world disappears all together!

40-Year old men living with their mothers begin roaming the streets at night pretending to be Batman! Millions of Call of Duty fans run around in their underwear wearing army helmets and packing the illegally modified Fully-Automatic M-16 with a silencer, scope, and infra-red laser that usually hides in the bottom of their crazy uncle's closet! Doom fans wear spiked knuckles and punch random walls all over town while shouting "Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!..... I know there's a secret here somewhere!"

OOOOHHH! Thank you STEAM! Thank you for saving us from the savage and brutal gamer within!

Tech Support Is The Same Everywhere

As most of you know and especially since I was robbed... I'm an avid supporter of PC Gaming VS. Console Gaming. As such, I use STEAM an awful lot. I've easily spent hundreds of dollars on a ton of different games.

If someone stole my computer... I can just log into my STEAM account on a new PC and re-download the games. If someone steals my console and all the games... I just have to dish out $60 a pop all over again until they are recovered. (or lie crying in the fetal position for hours at a time if I'm broke... which is much more realistic)

The STEAM client has a lot of GREAT features. You can easily browse or search through games by specific name, genre, or company. The interface is very polished and user friendly. Each game listed shows a "Metascore" based on many many reviews of the games. You can click on that score and see what different reviewer and user opinions were. It's the ultimate way to get a good grasp on what you're buying before you do it. If there's a demo for the game, it's in the same spot as everything else and easy to find/install.

In short, with a single click I can get a detailed synopsis of the game, view the trailer, look at specific reviews, or see awesome screenshots of in-game action.

NOW!!!!!!!!! Here-in lies the one problem I have with STEAM. When you look at screenshots using their client, the window that comes up and shows the screenshot is locked to be 800 pixels wide. You cannot maximize the window. That means 99% of the time, you have to scroll across and up and down to see the entire picture. Most screenshots are huge and of a very nice quality. Now... I admit I may be picky... but that's just STUPID. If I just want to look at an awesome gameplay shot in all its glory, I have to download the picture and then open it up in a different viewer just so I can see the whole thing at one time! The purpose of this client is to sell games... and you're gonna make me work to look at a picture of what I'm buying? Some of these things have 30+ screen shots. I'd love to look at them... but I don't want to scroll everywhere or download everything to do it. Is that so much to ask? We're talking about adding a maximize button to the window. It's only been around since Windows 3.1! C'mon!

So... in my never-ending support of this wonderful program, I e-mailed tech support to ask 1 simple question. Why? Can I fix it? I actually enjoy spending time using their product... browsing games... watching trailers... LOOKING AT SCREENSHOTS... It's a hobby of mine. Being able to do this one tiny thing would greatly improve the user experience for me. My original question and their response (as well as my reply back to them) is below. It just goes to show you that Tech Support sucks no matter where it's coming from or how great the product is. Nobody wants to help.

My Original Question:

Please forgive me if this is in the wrong spot, but I wasn't sure how to categorize it.

For as long as I've had Steam and no matter what platform it is installed on (XP, Vista, or Win7 32 and 64-bit) steam limits the size of new windows to 800 pixels across. My question is simply WHY?

For the most part I thoroughly enjoy browsing through the Steam store and checking out different games. The Metascore and Review feature is awesome, and I love the ability to quickly view the trailer. However, when looking at screenshots of actual gameplay, the picture comes up in a new window that cannot be resized. This has got to be one of the most annoying bugs I've ever come across. I just want to look at a picture! Is there anyway around this?

My default browser is Chrome, but it always opens an IE window. I don't mind that, but having to scroll around to look at a picture is just ridiculous. The top of the window comes up as "http://store.steampowered.com/?size=800" Why is this size set in stone? Is there a good reason for this limitation? Can I do anything about it? I guess it may seem picky, but I've spent a LOT of money with Steam and this is a basic UI problem. Any suggestions? Am I just out of luck?

Their Response:

Hello Cody,

Thank you for contacting Steam Support.

Currently, the Steam Support Team provides support for technical issues only.

If you wish to share an idea or suggestion, please visit the Suggestions/Ideas section of the Steam Forums, found here:

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=15

This forum is regularly read by Valve's development team.

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Ok... Read my original question and tell me... DID I ASK TO MAKE A FREAKING SUGGESTION!?!?!? NOOOOOO! I just want a quick and simple answer! Is that too much to ask? Am I out of luck or not!?!?!?

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My Reply:

Really? Is this the best answer you guys can give? I emailed you because I DO consider this to be a technical issue. I'm the general manager of a computer service business. If someone calls me and complains that they can't browse the web because they have to scroll all the pages to see anything... it's my job to say "You're resolution is on 800x600... we can fix that..."

I'm not trying to make a suggestion (yet) so I don't need the link to your Suggestions/Ideas forum. As a customer who's spent hundreds of dollars on your service, I just want a quick and simple answer to my questions. I was very polite yet honest in my first email. In the time it took to write your previous reply, you could've answer every single question I had.

Once again... is this problem I'm having a limitation of the Steam client? Is there anything I can do to fix this technical issue that prevents me from looking at a picture?

Thank you,

deetst.

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I haven't received a response back yet... but I'll be sure to post it when I do. Not that anyone on the planet gives a rat's ass but me... it just makes me feel better to rant.

-Cody

Turtle MIA

This just in:


Before leaving the Hertel residence last night a local student, Harrison Brown, sent in reports of a Turtle that had gone MIA. At approximately 11:45am this morning, the mutilated corpse of an (as of yet) unidentified Turtle was found only feet from last night's report in the back yard of the Hertel residence. The turtle was laying on his back and appears to have become the grizzly victim of a vicious hate crime.


Both the turtle's face and hands have been removed from his body. Because of this, positive identification has not yet been possible. Local authorities speculate that these appendages were purposely removed from the victim in order to make identification difficult.


With no face and no fingerprints to go on, detectives on the scene hope to achieve a positive identification through local dental records. Unfortunately, only the right half of the victim's jaw has any teeth left, making it a slow process.


What has local authorities both shocked and horrified seems to be the method used in removing these body parts. Both the hands and face appear to have been literally gnawed off.


Such sick and brutal methods have not been seen in this area since the famous Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

While no suspects and no motive have been officially named, our sources say that local canine Tucker Hertel (Pictured Below) has been detained for questioning.


A call to the local home owner, Cody Hertel, was not immediately returned. Please check back for the latest developments.


-Blake Deeterson
Spring Street Press

Oh yeah...

By the way... NEW YEARS RESOLUTION #1....

BLOG MORE

Even if no one reads it... maybe I can acquire a healthy sense of accomplishment....

:P


-Cody

Input Woes, Gripes, and General Technological Rants....

Ok... so I've got the TV... I've the PS3... I've got the PC using the TV as the monitor... and I've got the Xbox 360 Elite... what more could a guy want, right? (besides perhaps the WII... yeah whatever) I have been plagued by multiple problems with this setup. Just when I think it's working, something else happens.
For starters, the TV itself has issues using HDMI inputs. For some reason, when all 3 inputs are plugged in, they won't all work individually. For example, if I want the PC to show up on the screen, the Xbox also has to be or you can forget it! If I unplug everything and just have the PC plugged in via HDMI.... no problems. What's up with that? Don't get me wrong, the TV is AMAZING... I LOVE IT! The ambilight gives me goosebumps. But this is ridiculous!
Also, it's a good thing I have decent 20/20 vision, because I can't get the PC picture to take up the whole screen unless it's on the ENORMOUS resolution of 1920 by 1080. Is this awesome? Of course it is! Who wouldn't want 47" of monitor bliss at a beautiful resolution like this? Is this practical when using it for media purposes and not as a monitor? No! I sit on the couch... I'm more than 4 feet away from the monitor... it sits on top of the entertainment center! Even with the text size increased, this is a pain. I'm learning to adjust... I'd rather go blind than have to put up with a black border around the picture. So what's the fix? I'm living with it... bleh! The only other alternative is give false hope to a different video card and my budget simply doesn't allow for that.
Next problem... the black Xbox 360 Elite, though uber in it's own right also has it's own set of issues. Randomly, streaming audio just quits working. Then... randomly... it starts working again. That's right... games, DVD's, the Ipod, etc. all work fine. However, ANY streaming audio... kaputsky... This means no Netflix and no Xbox live entertainment. No myriad of unplugging, input switching, turning on and off, voodoo rituals, pagan rituals, bloody sacrifices, mystical incantations, or tear jerking prayers will fix this problem! Is it the TV? Is it the Xbox? Is it the cable? What's the deal? After reading many forums and Q&A posts, (at least Google seems to work) the problem is (of course) the new NXE (New Xbox Experience) OS that has just been released. (Thank you SO much Microsoft!) Apparently, the new OS has a problem with HDMI! Of all the inputs to have a problem with, it would be the one I'm using which is also supposed to be the best available at this time! So, what's the fix? I had to rewire and bump down to a component input. Granted, it will still give me a 1080p picture, but in my head the quality is worse! It just pisses me off! I dish out all this money for the ELITE and 2 months after I set it up, Microsoft releases some incompatible crap that screws up my entire setup! I don't want a machine that's partially working! The whole damn thing better work like it's supposed to! *sigh*.................. *breath*.............. *vomit*............ ok... anyway....
Last on the list is the PS3. I gotta say... the PS3 was a great choice. It's great for entertainment. I LOVE the Blu-Ray. Contrary to some other opinions I've heard... it never skips. Blu-Ray movies are just BEAUTIFUL! No comparison! At this point, I feel like if I'm not watching Blu-Ray, I might as well be watching a Betamax! It's that good! I actually prefer the light and sleek controller over it's bulkier cousin on the Xbox. Although the game selection isn't as extensive, the graphics are beautiful and the selection is expanding. It hasn't given me any trouble... until I have everything else plugged in.
Just when I get the Xbox problems figured out, I realize the PS3 is giving me audio problems. If I play a game, the audio is there. However, sound on the menu doesn't work. What the crap!?!?!?!? This means the music I have on there doesn't work... Blu-Ray sound doesn't work... FRIGGIN USELESS! Resetting, unplugging, the same pagan rituals... all produce the same result as before... nothing! Finally, going through the set-up process fixes the problem. After more googling, I find that, if you hold down the power button when the machine is off, wait for it to beep a second time, and then let go, it will go through the audio/video setup automatically. This fixed the issue. FINALLY!
So now, I have a PC that works beautifully when I can see it, an Xbox 360 Elite that works perfect (but continually pisses me off, because in the back of my mind I wonder if the picture could be 1/1000000th better if it were running through HDMI), and a PS3 that works exactly as it should with no issues running through HDMI after some pain and heartache. One can only hope that these issues are resolved permanently. Will the PS3 continue to give me problems? Will the Xbox 360 start wigging out on my on the component input as well? (Very few people have had this problem going through the component input, but it has been reported) Who knows. After coming home from fixing everyone else's computer problems all day, I've spent a good 3 hours fixing my own entertainment center issues. Maybe now I can just sit back and enjoy things as they work like they're supposed to...

Hey... I can dream can't I?

-Cody