Steam or Matrix

[Werewolf13]

I've got a bunch of games purchased from Matrix. Even more from STEAM.

The only question is where to buy Blitzkrieg from.

What would you choose and why?

[SwampYankee68]

I believe that in the past I learned from someone at Matrix that they make more money from games they sell direct as opposed to via steam, so I always buy mine direct from the Matrix web site.

[Werewolf13]

ORIGINAL: Swamp_Yankee

I believe that in the past I learned from someone at Matrix that they make more money from games they sell direct as opposed to via steam, so I always buy mine direct from the Matrix web site.

Good Point...

[Vic]

If you buy at Matrix you'll also get a Steam key to unlock it over there. I am not sure (correct me if I am wrong) if it also works the other way around.

And well I want to stay objective, but usually the closer you buy to the source the more revenue is left for the people producing the product. I think this goes for agricultural products as well as for games

Best wishes,
Vic

[RealChuckB]

I would generally suggest buying from Matrix Games for the following reasons:

1. You really get both - the Matrix Games version (which you could, for example, install on a machine with no online access) AND the Steam version (with all the advantages of using Steam); to the best of my knowledge, you do NOT get a Matrix Games key when you solely buy on Steam;
2. You can install Beta patches available for the Matrix Games version, for Steam, this might be more difficult or even impossible due to their automatic update features (which, for some time now, can NOT be deactivated anymore)
3. Same with Mods - Steam is usually very Mod friendly but it CAN lead to issues;
4. Don't know exactly what percentage Steam takes for online sales but I'm sure that it's less than what Plimus/Blue Snap charges Matrix Games for the sales through the Matrix Games store

[Werewolf13]

Thanks for the advice guys. I decided to buy from Matrix. Went out, got home went to Matrix and my browser kept timing out (no problems with any other site so it had to be Matrix). So I went ahead and bought it from STEAM.

Docs are on my tablet and game is installed.

Impressed so far - especially with the manual.

And now I'm thinking Advanced Tactics Gold might be worth a look too. Too bad Workshop isn't up and running for ATG - seems like a perfect venue for it.

[RealChuckB]

Well, you found one reason against buying from Matrix Games directly: their e-commerce provider through which they are running their store (Blue Snap) is ... somewhat rough around the edges [;)]

I'm still having "really getting into the game" on my list but there is so much else to play ... have fun!

[Philippeatbay]

Leaving aside any hiccups that might be encountered with Matrix's e-commerce provider, there is a very good reason for not buying Steam games directly from Steam.

If Steam ever goes belly up, or if it ever gets severely hacked, your Steam library might be wiped out or need reconstituting.

Not tremendously likely, but just in the realm of possibility.

If you actually own the bulk of your Steam games from someone other than Steam (e.g. Gamersgate), the remote likelihood of a catastrophe at Steam is less likely to have permanent effect. If your Steam library got erased and you had to reconstitute it, you would have a pretty strong case for ownership if you could refer Steam to Gamersgate. Otherwise you're going to lose some games.

Having said that, Steam's customer service is notoriously unresponsive and has a bad reputation. I really wouldn't want to rely solely on Steam if I had a serious problem, and I'm not pleased that they try to trick you into letting them store your financial information every time you make a purchase from them. They're a very prominent target, and from what I've heard they're not all that secure.

I think the fact that your ownership records end up in the Matrix database is a very powerful argument for buying Steam games from Matrix and putting up with any rough edges you might encounter with Plimus. I myself have never had any problems with Plimus, though I don't own that many Matrix games and I have actually experienced a few minor glitches along the way that could have spiraled out of control if I hadn't taken a few deep breaths until somebody's bandwidth sorted itself out. Having said that, if things had gone sour my experiences with Matrix's customer service have been more that satisfactory, except in one particular area (Matrix won't issue Steam keys for Ageod games purchased from Gamersgate).