current status of the Steam project

[Jessup]

As far as the bank account goes.. don't we already have a bank in America for the donation fund? Why not use that?

Also there is a gaming site named Desura that is like steam.. We have another game launch option here http://www.desura.com/development

This really isn't that hard to accomplish. I'm willing to help set up the non profit license here in Virginia too if anyone cares and is interested.

[Jessup]

For transparancy this is what we are dealing with ...

Welcome to Steamworks! This set of frequently asked questions are some of the most common topics discussed with new and prospective Steamworks Developers.


Digital Paperwork


Q. Once I get Greenlit, how long do I have to fill out the paperwork?

A. Take as much time as you need. The invitation you received to become a Steamworks Developer does not expire.


Q. Do I need a US Taxpayer ID before completing the paperwork?

A. You will need to complete all required information before we can fully set you up in Steamworks. If you are requesting an ITIN or EIN for the purposes of tax withholding, please wait until you have the necessary ID in hand before completing the digital paperwork.


Q. Where can I find more information on banking info, tax withholding, or payment?

A. Please see the Payments, Bank & Tax FAQ


Q. Should I form a corporation?

A. That is entirely up to you. Many other developers have found it to be beneficial to form a legal entity such as a corporation, but it depends on you and your situation. If in doubt, you may want to hire a lawyer to get proper legal advice on the benefits and costs of forming a legal entity. If you do plan to form a legal entity, you will need to do so before proceeding through the digital paperwork.


Q. Can I complete the paperwork as a partnership?

A. If you have a partnership registered in the United States, then yes. However, if your partnership exists outside the US, then no.

Due to the complexity of obtaining proper tax documentation, we cannot support non-US partnerships as a legal entity within Steamworks.


Launching and Promotions


Q. Can I access the Steamworks documentation and FAQs before I've completed the paperwork?

A. Yes, you can log in to https://partner.steamgames.com and accept the SDK Access Agreement to start investigating the SDK and reading over the documentation.


Q. I'm very interested in "Early Access" for my game. Where may I find more information on how to participate?

A. Once you have completed the digital paperwork, you will have full access to the Steamworks SDK and documentation, which should answer all your questions. In the meantime, you can log in to https://partner.steamgames.com and accept the SDK Access Agreement to start investigating the SDK and reading over the documentation right now.


Q. I have questions about promoting my game and participating in sales.

A. Promotions and sales are covered in the Steamworks documentation. See 'help' below for directions on accessing Steamworks Documentation and the Steamworks Developer Group.


Q. I have so many questions about preparing my game for release on Steam.

A. We have Steamworks documentation and FAQs specifically to answer the various questions that we've had from developers in the past. Additionally, there is a Steamworks Developer group where you can ask any questions that aren't answered by the documentation. Valve employees are frequently answering questions in there, along with many other developers. It's usually the quickest way to get a response as there are many people keeping an eye on the discussions.

Please see 'help' below for directions on accessing Steamworks Documentation and the Steamworks Developer Group.


Source Engine


If you have a Source Engine mod or game, please read the Source Engine on Steam FAQ for common questions.


Help


Q. Where can I get more help or ask specific questions?

A. The Steamworks Documentation and the Steamworks Developer Group, are the best places to look for more information and ask questions. You can log in to https://partner.steamgames.com and accept the SDK Access Agreement to start investigating the SDK and reading over the documentation.

[Jessup]

Bank and Tax (though if we are a free game why do we need this???)

Payments, Bank & Tax FAQ






Further links and information are available once you have signed up and logged into your account here


Contents
•Company Information
•Banking Account Information
•Tax Information – Tax Interview
•Tax Information – Withholding Taxes
•Tax Information – US TINs
•Tax Information – Reporting
•Payments
•Sales Reporting
•VAT and Sales Tax

Company Information


Q. Can I use special characters unique to my local language in completing the paperwork?

A. No, do not use special characters that are unique to a language other than English.


Q. Can I complete the paperwork as a partnership?

A. If you have a partnership registered in the United States or if your partnership exists outside the US and the partnership is taxed at the partnership level, then yes. However, if your partnership exists outside the US, and the partnership is taxed at the individual partner(s) versus the partnership level, then no. Due to the complexity of obtaining proper tax documentation, we cannot support such non-US partnerships as a legal entity within Steamworks.


Q. Can I enter an alias/nickname when I onboard?

A. No. You must enter your legal first and last name when onboarding. Do not enter an alias or nickname during the onboarding process.


Q. What should I enter as my Company’s Legal Name?

A. The name you enter must be the legal entity that owns or has rights to publish the game, and is the legal entity that will be signing the Steam Distribution Agreement. The company name you enter here must match the name as written on official documents with your bank and on United States IRS tax documents or foreign tax documents, if applicable.


Q. What should I enter as my Company’s Legal Name if I’m a sole proprietor?

A. Do not enter your Doing Business As (“DBA”) or “friendly name” or alias/nickname. Please enter your full legal name. The name you enter here must match the name as written on official documents with your bank and on United States IRS tax documents or foreign tax documents, if applicable.


Q. Where do I change my address?

A. You can change your address by clicking on the ‘View and edit company information’ from the Steamworks home page. Please contact the user who has Actual Authority rights for your organization on Steamworks (this is usually the person who completed the initial paperwork with Valve). Please note if you are changing your country of residence, you will be required to go through the tax interview again to establish your new rate of withholding tax based on your new circumstances.


Q. I changed my legal name (and banking and tax information). How do I effect this change on Steamworks?

A. We will have you re-onboard and create a new partner account in your new name. This will result in entering banking and tax in the new name as well. Once this is complete, we will have to send documents terminating the old company’s rights to the IP and move the games over from the old to the new company. Please use this form to contact us and provide us with the Steam account name that you wish to complete the digital paperwork.



Banking Account Information


Q. Can I release my games on Steam before I give valid bank information?

A. No. You will not be able to release games on Steam prior to providing us with valid banking and tax information.


Q. I see an error message that I don’t have the rights to change banking information.

A. In order to change banking information, you will need Actual Authority rights in Steamworks Manage Users. Actual Authority rights allow you to edit/view company information including company, banking and tax information. Please contact the user who has Actual Authority rights for your organization on Steamworks (this is usually the person who completed the initial paperwork with Valve). If no one in your Manage Users has Actual Authority rights, please use this form to contact us.


Q. How do I go about changing my bank information?

A. You can change your bank information by clicking on the ‘View and edit company information’ from the Steamworks home page. In order to change banking information, you will need Actual Authority rights in Steamworks Manage Users. Please contact the user who has Actual Authority rights for your organization on Steamworks (this is usually the person who completed the initial paperwork with Valve). If no one in your Manage Users has Actual Authority rights, please use this form to contact us.


Q. Why am I seeing a non-Valve URL when I’m entering bank information?

A. We use WorldPay, a third party payout provider, to make monthly payments to you. The bank information page is a template provided by WorldPay.


Q. Can I receive payments in my PayPal account or other similar non-bank accounts?

A. No. Payments can only be received via bank-to-bank transfers.


Q. Are there any characters that I cannot / should not enter in my banking information?

A. You should only use English letters, numbers and spaces when entering your banking data. Do not enter dashes or spaces in the account, SWIFT or IBAN fields. Any other symbols may be accepted but will likely cause issues when we try to process your payments.


Q. Do you pay in currencies other than US dollars?

A. We pay in US dollars only. If your bank account is held in any other currency, the conversion to your local currency will be done by your bank when receiving the payment. Please check with your bank to ensure that they can receive USD – some banks will not accept USD. If your bank does not accept USD, you will need to provide banking information for a bank which will accept USD in order to receive payment.


Q. What is a SWIFT Code?

A. A SWIFT Code is the unique identification code for a particular bank in accordance with standards approved by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). These codes are used when transferring money between banks, particularly for international wire transfers, and also for the exchange of other messages between banks.

You can search for your SWIFT code using your Bank Name, City or Postal Code. If you don't know and can't find your bank's SWIFT Code, please contact your bank to obtain it.

When entering your SWIFT code, please do not enter spaces.


Q. What is a routing number?

A. It's a nine digit bank code which identifies a US-based financial institution. You can request this number from your bank or you can find it typically at the bottom of your check.

When entering your routing number, please do not enter spaces.


Q. What is an IBAN number?

A. The International Bank Account Number (IBAN) is an international standard for identifying bank accounts. It's typically used in Europe. See the link below for an IBAN validation tool to ensure you have provided us with a valid IBAN.

IBAN Validator

When entering your IBAN number, please do not enter dashes or spaces.


Q. What does Bank Country mean?

A. Bank country is where your specific bank branch is located and not the location of the bank’s headquarters.


Q. Where do I enter my correspondent bank’s information?

A. Please complete the banking section with your receiving bank information as we do not need the correspondent bank to complete a transfer.


Q. Can I enter a FFB (for further benefit) or FFC (for further credit) account?

A. No, your bank account information needs to be in your name directly. We cannot process payments that require additional instructions to complete.


Q. I keep getting the error message “The bank account holder name must match the name you have entered on Steam”. What do I do?

A. As mentioned above, you need to be using your legal name to create your Steamworks account and banking and tax all must match this name. Any variations (Mr J Smith vs. Joseph Smith) will not be accepted. The names need to match exactly. Sometimes it is helpful to copy and paste the name into the banking data entry screen. Please note, this means you cannot use someone else’s bank account to receive your payment.


Q. Is it possible to use a joint account?

A. The payee name on the bank account must match the Steamworks partner name. Generally, using a joint account will have additional names and therefore not work.


Q. Can I split payments for my sales?

A. No. We can only pay to one payee per Steamworks partner account.


Q. Is there a monthly cut-off for bank account changes?

A. Please note that we make payments by the 30th of the month and there is lead time to prepping the payments. In order to ensure your banking changes are accepted in the system in time for payments, please complete any bank changes by the 20th of the month.



Tax Information – Tax Interview


Q. Can I release my games on Steam before I give valid bank information?

A. No. You will not be able to release games on Steam prior to providing us with valid banking and tax information.


Q. How do I provide Valve with the tax information needed?

A. As part of the partner onboarding process, you will be provided a link to start the tax interview. The tax interview takes 5-10 minutes and will ask you a series of questions to guide you through the completion of either tax forms (W-9 or W-8BEN). You can also access the tax interview by clicking on the “View and edit company information” from the Steamworks home page.


Q. What do I need to have available before taking the tax interview?

A. We require all partners to provide valid taxpayer identification to comply with U.S. tax reporting regulations. For U.S. partners, your TIN is either an Employer Identification Number (EIN), or a Social Security Number (SSN). For Non-U.S. partners, a U.S. TIN or a foreign TIN is required to claim treaty benefits.


Q. Why am I seeing a non-Valve URL upon clicking the link to start the tax interview?

A. We use a service called TaxIdentity provided by a third-party company called Lilaham to conduct the tax interview.


Q. Can I save part way through the tax interview and continue later?

A. No. You cannot save part way through as the tax interview needs to be completed within the same instance. The tax interview takes 5-10 minutes.


Q. Can I use a name different than what I provided in Company Information to take the tax interview?

A. No. The tax interview needs to be in the same name as the name provided in Company Information.


Q. Why am I not getting an instant validation of my TIN?

A. The TIN is validated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This process is subject to IRS database outages that can delay the process. In addition, recently issued TINs can take up to 30 days to process as the IRS has to update the database which we check against.


Q. What happens if I retake the tax interview?

A. The prior tax interview will be deleted even though that tax information may have been verified and valid. The tax interview should only be retaken if there is a change in circumstance (ie. you moved to a different country) or there is additional information such as a U.S. or foreign TIN that was originally omitted.


Q. I’ve just moved. Do I need to retake the tax interview?

A. If your move is within the same country as provided in the original tax interview, then you do not need to retake the tax interview. If you have moved to a different country, you will need to retake the tax interview.



Tax Information – Withholding Taxes


Q. How much withholding taxes will be deducted from my payments?

A. At the conclusion of the tax interview, the withholding rate % will be provided to you. The withholding rate may range from 0% to 30% withholding on U.S. source income, based on the information you provided during the tax interview. If your withholding rate is 30% and your country of residence has a tax treaty with the U.S., you may want to retake the tax interview and provide a U.S. or foreign TIN in order to reduce the withholding rate. Countries that have tax treaties with the U.S. can be found here:

http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Intern...aties---A-to-Z


Q. What happens if there is no income tax treaty between my country of residence and the United States?

A. We will be required by the IRS to withhold 30% of your revenue share payment and remit these taxes to the IRS. You may want to consult with your tax advisors on whether you can recover these taxes as a foreign tax credit on your tax return.


Q. Why does my tax information show two withholding rates - one for royalty copyright and one for royalty film?

A. These are separate tax rates that are applied depending on the content type of your sales. The royalty copyright rate will apply to US sourced sales on games and related DLCs. The royalty film rate will apply to US sourced sales on film and video. These rates do not accumulate for a higher rate of withholding and only one rate will be applied depending on the type of sales.


Tax Information – US TINs


Q. Why do I need to obtain an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)?

A. Generally, a foreign person is subject to U.S. tax on its U.S. source income. Most types of U.S. source income received by a foreign person are subject to a U.S. tax rate of 30%. A reduced rate, including exemption, may apply if there is a tax treaty between the foreign person's country of residence and the United States. In order to exercise the benefits under the tax treaty, you will need to complete a Form W-8BEN and that requires either a foreign TIN or a US TIN. Countries that have tax treaties with the U.S. can be found here:

http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Intern...aties---A-to-Z

If your country of residence is France, Japan or Luxembourg, you will need to provide a US TIN in completing the Form W-8BEN to claim tax treaty benefits and apply an exempt withholding rate. A foreign TIN is not sufficient.


Q. Does applying for a TIN require me to file a U.S. tax return?

A. Applying for an ITIN for purposes to exercise the benefits under the tax treaty does not require you to file a U.S. tax return.


Q. What types of US TINs are there?

A. For non-U.S. persons, a TIN may be an Employer Identification Number (EIN) for individuals and businesses or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) for individuals only.


Q. If I’m an individual, can I choose to apply for an EIN or ITIN?

A. Yes, an individual can apply for either an EIN or ITIN.


Q. How do I obtain a US TIN?

A. An Employer Identification Number (EIN), for individuals (you need to indicate you are a sole proprietor) and businesses, may be obtained over the telephone by calling (267) 941-1099. This is not a toll-free number and long distance charges may apply. An EIN may also be obtained through filing “Form SS-4, Application for Employer Identification Number” by fax which takes approximately four business days and by mail which takes approximately four weeks. More information about Form SS-4 is available on the IRS website.

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fss4.pdf


Q. How long does it take for the IRS to issue an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)?

A. It may take a few months or longer to obtain an ITIN.



Tax Information – Reporting


Q. What reporting do you provide for tax purposes?

A. U.S. partners will have royalties earned in the prior tax year reported on the Form 1099-MISC. We issue these annual forms on or before January 31 each year.

Non-U.S. partners will have U.S. source income reported annually on the IRS Form 1042-S. We issue these annual forms on or before March 15 each year, and they are an informational statement of your royalties and any amounts withheld during the prior tax year.



Payments


Q. Why haven't I received payments yet?

A. You must provide us with all completed bank and tax information before we can make payments to you. Please check to make sure that both pieces of information are completed.

As we are using WorldPay, a third party payment provider, the label description on your payment may say “WorldPay” or “Valve Corporation”. Please check to see whether you have received payments from either.

If you have checked and still don’t see a payment from either WorldPay or Valve Corporation, please email us and we’ll put a trace on the payment. Please note that this process can take a few days before we can provide you with an update. If your payment failed and was returned to us, we will notify you of the reason for the payment failure so you can correct it. Once corrected, it will be included in the next monthly payment batch. We cannot make off cycle payments.


Q. What is your normal cycle of paying me?

A. We pay out by the 30th of the month following sales. For example, we will pay you for calendar February month sales by March 30th. It may take a few business days for the payment to post to your bank account. In that case, you may see the payment in your bank account during the first few days of April, following the example above.


Q. What method of payment do you use?

A. We will make your payments by Electronic Funds Transfer which is a bank-to-bank transfer. We do not currently offer any other payment methods – please ensure that you are able to receive payments in this manner. Valve is unable to provide additional documentation to help you receive your funds.


Q. I need to provide my bank with additional documentation regarding purpose of the payments. What do I do?

A. You can access the Steam Distribution Agreement (SDA) that you signed through the Steamworks onboarding process to show your bank proof of the incoming funds.


Q. Who is WorldPay and why am I seeing payments from them?

A. We use a third party payment provider to make our monthly payments. It’s possible that you may see WorldPay as the label description associated with your incoming Steam payment.

The registered address for WorldPay is:The Walbrook Building,
25 Walbrook,
London,
EC4N 8AF
United Kingdom


Q. Can you split my payment to more than one bank account?

A. No, payments are associated one to one with partner and account. Any splits or further payments that need to be made are your responsibility as we are unable to process multiple payments for one partner.


Q. Is there a monthly cut-off for bank account changes?

A. Please note that we make payments by the 30th of the month and there is lead time to prepping the payments. In order to ensure your banking changes are accepted in the system in time for payments, please complete any bank changes by the 20th of the month.


Q. I didn’t change by bank information in time for this payment cycle. Can you reissue payment to my new bank account?

A. We make payments once a month. If your payment is returned to us for any reason, it will be included in the next monthly payment batch. We cannot make off cycle payments.


Q. Why doesn’t the revenue share payment match to the amount I see in my bank account?

A. We pay the Total Revenue Share amount as indicated per the monthly Steam Sales Report. We don’t pass any wire fees to you but we cannot control bank fees that may be imposed on you by intermediary banks or your receiving bank.


Q. I’m not ready to receive the Steam payments. Can you hold money for us?

A. Once your game(s) is released, have provided us with valid banking and tax information, and there are sales on your game(s), we will pay you. We are not able to hold monies for you.



Sales Reporting


Q. Where can I see the amount of my sales for the month?

A. Your monthly Steam Sales Report is available to be viewed on the secure partner site (https://partner.steampowered.com/) under the “Reports Tab”. We recommend using the Firefox web browser for printing. As a reminder, you have access to intra-month information at any time at the same site.


Q. I don’t have access to log onto the secure partner site to view financials. Who should I contact?

A. You will need to contact someone from your company that has admin rights on the Steamworks partner account and have them add you to Manage Users and grant you permission to view financials. If you don’t already have a Steam account, you will need to create one at: https://store.steampowered.com/login/


Q. Why do the sales on the secure partner site differ from the sales reported in the monthly Steam Sales Report?

A. The ad-hoc sales information on the secure partner site represents Gross Revenues and does not deduct for Applicable Adjustments such as returns, chargebacks and taxes. Your monthly Steam Sales Report shows Gross Revenues less Applicable Adjustments to get to Net Revenue which then is multiplied by the revenue share % resulting in the amount to be paid to you. Please refer to the Steam Distribution Agreement which you signed for further details on Revenue Share Payment.


Q. Can I download the monthly Steam Sales Report into Excel?

A. On the home page of the secure partner site, beside the date selection, you will find a link to “view as .csv”. Alternatively, in the monthly Steam Sales Report which can be viewed on the secure partner site (https://partner.steampowered.com/) under the “Reports Tab”, you will find a link at the bottom of the report called “Steam Sales by Country” to download into Excel.


Q. Will I receive a notification when my monthly report is available to be viewed?

A. No, by the time payment is received, the monthly reports are published and available to be viewed.


Q. What does US revenue share on my report represent?

A. US revenue share is the portion of your payment that was earned on sales made in the US (the portion you will be paid is total less any withholding that is applicable). The US share is relevant to foreign partners where we need withhold taxes based on information provided during the tax interview This is the basis from which it is calculated. US share is also the portion that is included in the annual tax reporting.


Q. Where do I send my invoice?

A. We do not need to be invoiced. Payments are made monthly based on the amount owing. If you need to create an invoice for your own purposes, it does not need to be sent to Valve.



VAT and Sales Tax


Q. How does VAT work on Steam Sales?

A. We only collect VAT in the EU. In all other countries, we are selling cross-border and are not required to collect VAT. Steam pricing in Europe is VAT inclusive. On a periodic basis, Valve remits VAT collected on EU sales to the revenue authorities.


Q. What is the VAT rate on Steam Sales?

A. In the summer of 2012, we began doing business in the European Union through a new, wholly-owned Luxembourg subsidiary, Valve S.a.r.l. VAT rate is determined by where the seller is located (i.e. Valve S.a.r.l.) and therefore, we are using the Luxembourg’s VAT rate of 15% on all EU sales.


Q. Will the VAT rates change effective January 1, 2015?

A. Effective January 1, 2015, VAT regulations will be changed such that the VAT rate will be determined by the location where the customers is based rather than where the seller is located (i.e. Valve S.a.r.l.). Therefore, EU country-specific VAT rates of where the customer is located will apply and we will no longer be able to use a flat 15% VAT rate on EU sales.


Q. Do you charge sales tax and if yes, in what states?

A. We charge sales tax on Washington state sales only. Sales tax is calculated and then added on top of the Steam Price. On a periodic basis, Valve remits sales tax to the revenue authorities.


Q. Do you pay us on amounts, net of taxes?

A. We pay you based on Net Revenues which is Gross Revenues less Applicable Adjustments. Gross Revenues includes VAT and sales tax, if applicable. Applicable Adjustments include taxes, returns and chargebacks. Net revenue is then multiplied by the revenue share % resulting in the amount to be paid to you, net of applicable withholding taxes. Please refer to the Steam Distribution Agreement which you signed for further details on Revenue Share Payment.


Q. What is my responsibility regarding VAT, sales tax, or other similar taxes?

A. We can only provide you with information on how we handle VAT and sales taxes. You will need to consult with your tax advisors on your own tax obligations. In the monthly Steam Sales Report which can be viewed on the secure partner site (https://partner.steampowered.com/) under the “Reports Tab”, you will find a link at the bottom of the report called “Steam Sales by Country”. This may assist you in calculating your own tax obligations, if any.

[Turban]

As far as the bank account goes.. don't we already have a bank in America for the donation fund? Why not use that?

Also there is a gaming site named Desura that is like steam.. We have another game launch option here http://www.desura.com/development

This really isn't that hard to accomplish. I'm willing to help set up the non profit license here in Virginia too if anyone cares and is interested.

we are using paypal for the donations, we do not have an american bank account set up for it. there are other platforms that we could launch on in the future, sure -- but now the focus is getting on Steam.

i'm currently waiting for SpaceHiker to present his candidate, hopefully sooner than later, as he is trying to get someone to seal the deal without the need of setting up a non-profit organization.

anyway, if he isn't going to find anyone, and no one else wants to sign it, we do have a few players who seem to be interested in setting up a NPO / non-profit LLC, which is a relief to see for sure. if you can manage to figure out all the details (expenses, how long it would take to officially form it, what everything is required) for us, it could definitely be of some use in the near future. i wouldn't do any of the paperwork now, though, as there is a chance that we do not even need one to be formed.

also, every game (whether the game is free, subscription based, or one time purchase) on Steam, all publishers will still have to do all the paperwork by including their bank account, even if no payments will ever be made, and all 0other requested material.

[Godzero]

Turban if setting up an NPO/LLC takes longer than the amount of time you have left before you go on your two-month "leave" (if it even needs to),
is there already another staffer(s) in-line to take over heading the project during your leave of absence, whether they are equal to the task or not?

I agree we should progress as quickly as possible, but I just hope the reasoning isn't bc this will fall into hiatus if it isn't.

[Turban]

i'm definitely looking for other candidates to take over the project on our side, if it ever comes down to it. i will be around until may 8th, if it's really necessary, but after that my free time will be extremely limited and i won't be able to commit myself to this project. on the top of my head, we currently have at least two people on staff that could be a perfect fit for running this project, but i have yet to talk or make deals with either one.

nevertheless, it would still be highly preferable to get something going as fast as possible as the benefits, at least on a motivational level if nothing else, would be enormous for the players and staff members from all the zones.

i'm currently waiting for the candidate that SpaceHiker is going to present, in which case we would not need a NPO/LLC, and might have another person who is interested to help us if no one from SSC wants to do it.

[Leland]

tl;dr

[2pac]

i'm definitely looking for other candidates to take over the project on our side, if it ever comes down to it. i will be around until may 8th, if it's really necessary, but after that my free time will be extremely limited and i won't be able to commit myself to this project. on the top of my head, we currently have at least two people on staff that could be a perfect fit for running this project, but i have yet to talk or make deals with either one.

nevertheless, it would still be highly preferable to get something going as fast as possible as the benefits, at least on a motivational level if nothing else, would be enormous for the players and staff members from all the zones.

i'm currently waiting for the candidate that SpaceHiker is going to present, in which case we would not need a NPO/LLC, and might have another person who is interested to help us if no one from SSC wants to do it.

who is spacehiker going to pick for a candidate his mom?

[Wormhole Surfer]

If someone else is going to take over the Steam project, at least update the steam banner graphics and screenshots:

Steam banner & background graphics:






Some Better Screenshots:
EG Public Arena (big game): http://i.imgur.com/OrZtkD1.jpg
EG Public Arena (mini-base): http://i.imgur.com/sdtIdEO.jpg
Ice Hockey: http://i.imgur.com/x58suCE.jpg
Tank Elim: http://i.imgur.com/93s3vYv.jpg
Flash Attack: http://i.imgur.com/9SdWNCL.jpg
Map Editor: http://i.imgur.com/oAq9J7A.jpg

[roxxkatt]

ooo and these dont have the noses cut off

[Pressure]

Good to hear Turb. Thanks for the update. I hope that there is someone willing to sign for us and I hope it works out.

I stopped reading after this though:

and as a consequence of his laziness, we will all be permanently locked in as priits slaves, which apparently is something he enjoys, with no chance of adding new features or making use of the steam workshop

What you don't understand, Cheese, is that most of us don't care to add new features or to modernize this game. I'd 100% rather this be launched on steam with the prospect of getting even a measly 100 new players, with the same gameplay/layout, than create an entirely new client just to change everything about it. I'm not interested in playing a new game or adding new features. I'm looking to revive the classic one that I love. I know nothing about Steam or the Steam workshop, however, so maybe I'm missing something.

The only thing I do think we are missing out on is the ability to integrate the game into social media platforms or iPhones, for example. Otherwise, nah, I don't know about staff/the devs, but us players have been just fine as PriitK slaves for the last 15 years.

[roxxkatt]

the problem is that the game in its current state, while sufficient, is something we do not own and legally can not launch on steam.
end of story.
anyone sends an email to valve and it is removed.
this can be solved by having priit do the paperwork required by valve, something that definitely wont happen this year, if at all
and only priit, because he is a part of brilliant digital entertainment, which owns the copyrights


and there is a lot of features that people want, even if current client is sufficient, like squad voice chat, etc, which just cant be done ever until a new client is produced, and anyone that has ever worked with as3 knows the power both the devs and the users have compared to using subgame, and that capability is multiplicative, not additive, when combined with server+client

for instance something i have always wanted personally is a replacement for ?lines=0, in which text would just fade away as it got older, something that could be customized by a client setting
another thing could be server actually sending text to display to the client instead of pictures, which would reduce the current hundreds lines of text to enable and disable pictures from bots per second to regulate things like timers, to something like 20 (the number of players in the arena)
small quality of life improvements to both the front end and the back end, which includes performance and security upgrades
all of which can be done without changing the game

[roxxkatt]

and i would 100% rather see this done correctly and permanently without sacrificing due dilligence for late haste, because its far easier now while its dead than it would be with more people, and the only reason 6 months have gone by with no action other than my own is because apparently noone gives a shit about the game


and a reminder that all delays on this project are delays exclusively based on lack of effort
the biggest trend is people sitting waiting for other people to do work, while they themselves refuse to do anything

[Crescent Seal]

yeah i just see this as a half-ass attempt (which will probably never even happen) by staff to put something together and get on steam. lets say we do get on steam for hypothetical purposes (lol). has anyone thought beyond that? we have no tutorial whatsoever and this game has a massive learning curve. player retention rate would be extremely low if any. steam is basically life support for this game at this point. its just a temporary heal that i doubt would significantly contribute to this games survival.

i 100% agree with roxcatt because he is looking at a long term strategy. If we can somehow become legally independent then it would give us the ability to adapt and meet ever-changing player demands. the only downfall to this is that we lack competent staff members for this. our staff is so pathetic that if we went with a plan like this, the game might actually die before we were even able to finish it. time is a factor here.

all of this should have been set in motion years ago but our upper staff is beyond garbage. this game will die and its too late to do anything about it so just figure out a way to use that donation money so one of those fgts doesn't use it to buy a blow up doll.

[Turban]

time to be the bringer of good news,

Steam has given us their seal of approval allowing this game to launch on their platform now that the paperwork has been completed. We are currently aiming to launch in early July as there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure as smooth of a launch as possible for the new players.

The work on Steam itself is not going to be too time consuming, but rather preparing and getting everything set in game is going to prove to be the true challenge and time sink of this project.

We need the extra time to prepare all the zones and their respective staff for the launch date, which for Trench Wars means updating the current public arena, promoting the competitive scene for the competitive players, setting up a new tutorial for the new players, figuring out launch events to keep players entertained, hiring additional staff members to help with the launch day, and other various projects. As always, we are looking to hire experienced players to the staff team.

We are going to start working on the store page, starting this Monday, and we would greatly appreciate all the help we can get from the community to make the store page as appealing as possible for the new players. This would include adding quality high resolution screenshots of the game, including images and various banners using the original Continuum logo, a good description of the game, writing an announcement about the launch on the greenlight page, and more. There is a fair amount of resources available from the past, but as always there is room for improvement. If anyone feels that they are qualified enough to help, let us know and we will fill you with the details of the work.

When everything is ready to go, we can set a launch date and submit the game to get the final approval from Steam.

Sorry for the six months of delay, this all could have been handled much better. I will continue answering questions about everything related to Steam both in-game and on the forums.