thats kinda redundant because steam already allows you to install steam on any number of computers you want without issue. You can even install all your games on all those systems. There's no need to install your games on a terribly slow external drive as steam already lets you do what you want. Youre solving a problem that doesn't exist. Unless you want to sneaker net install between computers then copying the steam apps folder is useful. But it's not necessary if you just want to access your games on different systems.

steam has always had a "install anywhere" policy. You just can't use that game on more than one computer at the same time.

note some games have activation limits, but those are separate from Steam And are not a limitation imposed by Steam. Activation limits for Crysis and some older BL1 DLC fall under this umbrella.

You are ignoring the voiced concerns and seem to be ignoring your own distorted mis-phrasing of them in your own statements.

And using Steam Family Sharing, she can.  As long as you aren't playing the same game.  Otherwise, if you want two copies, buy two copies.  Claiming to have worked in software, you should be smart enough to realize that.

I wonder how frogboy would feel about a formder development manager actively promoting piracy? But its none of thier business within your household right? I'm sure frogboy wont care if you have 7 copies of galciv2, 7 copies of "Launch8" and "Window Blinds" when you only bought one of them.

How peculiar then you don't want a Steam version. Steam games frequently have 4 packs for games that give you 4 for the price of 3. Steam frequently does sales for games and for combo packs. Why are you so against a Steam version when they give you several options to 'support families'? 

How even more pecular you want a GOG version. A company that doesn't have multi-product discounts for their products. Yet you want a drm-free version... that doesn't seem to jive wiht the 'support my family' model. It does jive with the "i don't want to pay for 7 copies so I'm just going to pirate them instead" model. All your 'support my family' nonsense is just a fancy smoke screen. You just want options that allow you to easily pirate the games, not to 'allow my family to play them'.

Unless you live in the People's Republic of Kobarno with your own EULA enforcement licensing rules in your republic, you have to adhere to the EULA of all products you purchase. If the license says one installation only, then you have to adhere to that. You don't get to mystically throw out the law because you don't happen to like it. 

Your 'points' are self-conflicting with your actions. And are inconsistent with your intended 'goals'. Steam already has several value methodologies for allowing family members to share libraries, or to purchase mutli-packs, or with future sales. Something no other platform even comes close in providing.

So why exactly are you against steam again?j Ah yes. Because it's harder for you to pirate your games.

Well allow me to introduce you tthe Microsoft licensing team. Or the Adobe licensing team. Or the Autodesk licensing team. They are all VERY VERY serious about enforcing the licensing model. And will gladly rip you a new one if the find even one iota of discreptancy in your licensing adherence.

You buy more copies as needed. Just like you're SUPPOSED TO DO. 

Note that 'family packs' have NOTHING TO DO WITH DRM FREE VERSIONS. How does a DRM free versikon 'support' families. DRM free versions have license restrictions, just like DRM software. Stardocks own products have 1 usage at a time licesense despite being DRM free. So do other DRM free software. You want family packs? Steam has 4 packs available. DRM free isn't about 'supporting families'. Its about you 'enabling your own piracy'

I've never met anyone who's done meth/cocaine/heroine. So I guess that's not a problem either huh? Well the war on drugs is over. Huzzah! Wow glad that's done wiht. Back to my weed hydroponics lab then.

Yeah no one takes these EULA serously

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernor_v._Autodesk,_Inc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MDY_Indus._LLC_v._Blizzard_Entm%27t,_Inc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowers_v._Baystate_Technologies

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT%26T_Mobility_v._Concepcion

Well at least you're admitting to be a pirate. Sorta.

Whining that steam makes your piracy 'difficult' is not a complaint.

You really can't carry on a conversation without labeling, or calling people names, can you? 

My advice to kids like you is simple, don't worry about what other folks do, Ok? All of this is merely YOUR OPINION, and given it is exclusive to you, it's really none of my worry - your opinion is invalidated by your name calling, and of course I have my own opinions, which differ - but are mine nonetheless. It's not really difficult to understand.. Stop worrying about other people.

Now if you are such a big advocate for buying games, why not go preorder your founders and STFU? This is why I avoid forums like the plague, kids like you soil them with your self important opinions - which really mean nothing, but you aren't mature enough to realize that. That comes with age, and maturity, you'll get there someday.

Only the parts of the EULA that don't contradict local law. 

Does Stardock's software also use a one-time activation like their games? If so, then they are not DRM free.

Agreed.

A few posts up you're calling people idiots, and now you're complaining about name calling?

Man, this just keeps getting more and more hilarious.

 There you go with the assumptions again, but you complained about that too. You're awfully inconsistent.

Actually, that you're a pirate is a fact. You said it yourself. That you're engaging in so much cognitive dissonance that you've managed to convince yourself that you're not doesn't change reality.

That's the great thing about reality - it's true, even if you don't want to believe in it. But if you're really not worried about other peoples opinions of you, why have you spent the last couple of pages arguing with them about it?

And of course, being a pirate there is exactly zero incentive for Stardock to spend their money to make it easier for you to pirate the game.

If you avoid forums like the plague, why are you still here making a progressively larger fool of yourself? A "mature" person would have seen that the company owner isn't interested and moved on, instead of making all kinds of claims, hurling all kinds of insults, and generally acting ridiculous in an effort to explain why they should spend more money on development so you can more easily pirate the game.

(Then again, that age = maturity is another common fallacy...)

Like many people when steam came out (I remember around the time CS1.4 or 1.5 came out...) I was vehemently against it...my brother and I used to pool our resources together to buy games...so how much fun would it be to only be able to single play with that one copy...Blizzard had it right back then 1 real game allowed 7-8 spawn copies and the real game disk was required for single play.

I noticed some talking about the family sharing while it's nice it clearly states "

CAN TWO USERS SHARE A LIBRARY AND BOTH PLAY AT THE SAME TIME?

No, a shared library may only be accessed by one user at a time." - Basically it's like checking out a book if you've got spare licences then their are two copies of the book else there is just 1. 

So if you both want to play at the same time (Even a single player only game) YOU CAN'T even though you can buy 1 DVD and watch it with 5+ people they restrict the games following the BS licensing...that no one in their right minds actually believes. If you've read some of the Licencing agreements I have they put all faults on you and then restrict your use of the product you are "leasing from them"... It's like a lease saying if it screws up/doesn't work etc. it's on you but you can't do blah blah blah and blah with it... Most of them are so absurd if someone said it to me I'd tell them to go screw themselves! We all know no one reads them they just click agree...

I'd prefer the game to be distributed from GOG... where I buy a lot of my games because I don't think art should be locked away but shared with the world. I've even bought games I have still on CD... 

So pro's of steam:

1 Stop list for a lot of games.

You Know what your buddies are up to.

Some games allow you to click your buddie and connect to the same server and team with them.

The shared achievements/Achievements.

The centralized modding...not that I use it (I use Nexus for Skyrim but I've been there since morrowind could be a habit )...

Fast downloading (controls for limiting it as well)

Well established group.

Windows, Mac, and Linux gaming - basically all computers supported.

Cons:

Always on (if you start a game from the exe it automatically connects to steam even if you don't want it to.)

In order to play a single player game it must connect to the internet to ask permission. (Can be in offline mode, but this has to be done when connected to the internet).

By default it keeps statistics on what you play...gaming habits...buying habits..friends and what they buy, general location of where your machine is. (You know invasion of privacy).

-----

Basically Valve turned DRM into a social bonus vs straight up assuming everyone was a pirate.

A major annoyance of mine is the industries belief that a Pirated copy = Lost sale...that's totally STUPID.

I was a big supporter of Star Docks method...you buy the game then if you added the keys to stardock you can get updates but you didn't need to type in those big long keycodes to play the CD/DVD you bought.

I don't recall anywhere saying steam would be required for this game.  Did I miss a something somewhere?

I have no problems with the game being available on steam, but I prefer that the game doesn't require steam.

My issue with steam is that it is another log in.  I don't like the proliferation of log ins that are required for things.  I have a log in here, a log in on impulse (game stop) and one on steam and so on and so on and so on.  Some people will agree with me, some will not.  Some hate steam, some love it.  But regardless of any of these issues, if steam isn't required to get or run the game, you satisfy all.  Those who love steam can get it there.  Those who love game stop can get it there. 

When I purchased the elite founder, I noticed that I can download GC2 and other content from there with neither steam nor game stop.  I wonder (and expect that) if GC3 will be the same.

It's on the store page in a somewhat indirect way

http://galciv3.com/store

At the very very bottom in tiny tiny print.

https://forums.galciv3.com/449023/

You may voice your concerns here. However note that while other options may be investigated, at best, you might get OSX/Linux versions. Non-steam versions are sort of unlikely. Keep your expectations accordingly. It doesn't hurt to ask of course. 
 

Like most steam games, GalCiv3 willl be available at a lot of online retailers. However as a primarily steamworks game, you'll need to activate the game on steam, regardless of where you purchase it (Amazon/GG/GMG/Gamestop/etc)

 

If the game is Steamworks then this is unlikely. For example, if you register Fallen Enchantress:LH to your Stardock account, you cannot download it from Stardock. You have to download it from Steam. Older games like GalCiv2 and Sins have direct download links from your Stardock account

There are shady cd-key resellers that sell low priced retail cd-keys from cheaper regions online. 

However this won't be an issue wiht GalCiv3 since there is no retail product to 'unbox' and get a serial from in a cheaper region.

Steam itself supports multi-install anywhere and everywhere. Regional restrictions may be added by developers/publishers. If a game has regional restrictions, it's because the developer/publisher put it there. Steam simply gives the tools to do it, but the restriction is at the behest of the developer/publisher.

As a 'general' rule safe Steam resellers are the usual players, GamersGate, GreenManGaming, GameFly, Gamestop, Amazon.

Also note that if you want to support devs, try to purchase games directly from their websites. Indie devs that use the Humble Store get a much bigger chunk of your purchase. Most game stores charge a 30% margin to sell your product. The humble store, only takes sub-10%. So if you see a game y ou like and the Humble Store offers you steam keys, then do the dev a favor and buy it there. They'll get more money and you'll be financially supporting the dev directly.