As we get closer to the alpha of GalCiv3, one thought haunts my brain; "no, this is not the way."
First of all let me clarify where I come from. I am thirty years of age and can be considered an old-school gamer. My first "gaming rig" was an Atari 2600. The black plastic one from 1984, also known as the 2600 Junior. After that I got a Super Nintendo Entertainment System. I still remember the smell when I opened the box for the first time and playing Super Mario World for the first time. It's my fondest childhood memory and probably the reason I like physical media so much.
I got my first PC at the end of 1995. It had Windows 95 and a I got a bunch of games for both DOS and Windows. For those of you who don't know; this was the time period where the first 3D accelerators appeared and DirectX was on it's first iteration; it was not the massive beast we know today. My fondest memories of those times were coming home with a new game and opening the box. Believe it or not but most games had printed manuals, some even in colour! There is something about having the box displayed on a shelf, as if it's saying; "Look at me! My owner bought me and is proud of it!"
And that's where that haunting thought comes in. Though I don't have anything against digital distribution, it just doesn't feel right to not have a box standing on the shelf. Something you can hold in your hands and be happy about, thinking; "Yeah, I bought this. It was a good decision.". But that's not the only thing about GalCiv 3's digital distribution that bothers me. From what I've read, you need internet and Steam and that is the most bothersome.
What if I want to play it on a computer without internet and Steam? What if I don't have it installed and lose my internet connection (money problems, moving to Pluto or somewhere else without internet access) ? How will I be able to install the game then?
This troubles me to the extend that I am seriously thinking of trying to cancel my pre-order (if still possible).
(It is also stuff like this that drives me to download an unauthorized copy of a game. Because those, you can install on any computer without internet or Steam.)
I understand it's probably too expensive for Stardock to have physical media but is there any chance we will be able to download the game, burn it on a disc and install it on a computer without an internet connection and Steam? That would make me feel a whole lot more comfortable.