Quoting: MblackwellI can make a tar.gz of any steam game I have installed (which, like with GOG can be installed via command line tools) without DRM, move it anywhere I want, and expect it to work later.

That much is known, the question is, are you allowed to do it or not. According to Steam TOS - IMHO not. Analysis was already brought above. And it fits very well with the way their official backup tool is implemented which has DRM. You can bypass it by manual copying? So you can as well break various forms of DRM too to make personal backups. That doesn't make those cases DRM-free.

It is not like GOG who by design let you making personal backups that don't rely on any client or service to be installed.

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Quoting: BOYSSSSSAgain you answer one of my points and ignore the others. Would you agree that Steam Backup Tool is used for games that are supposed to have DRM and that the reason there is an obstacle put in Steam Backup Tool is extra protection for those games that do have DRM?

Steam backup is the tool Steam authorize you to use to backup / restore. Manual method is not allowed according to Steam TOS. So Steam doesn't care whether games use some internal DRM or not, Steam itself is DRM in this case. This is quite clear, I'm not sure what needs more clarification in this case.

Quoting: BOYSSSSSDo you acknowledge that there are DRM-Free games from Steam that you can just copy to another computer without Steam and play them?

I don't acknowledge that you can legally do it. Steam TOS forbids it.

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Quoting: BOYSSSSS

Quoting: ShmerlWhich implies DRM logic, bingo! Now you are starting to get the point.

So you consider DRM the ability to prevent a Steam user from giving a game to another Steam user?

I was talking about the intent of the DRM, not about the user. Trying to "prevent copying" is preemptive policing that DRM attempts to achieve. It doesn't care whether user wants to copy it for personal backup (which should be perfectly fine). DRM can't distinguish the purpose of copying. I.e. it uses presumption of guilt by default, that's exactly why DRM is overreaching and unethical.

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Quoting: BOYSSSSSThen again you assume they are just evil and will make sure their users lose all their games, which would make no sense, GabeN would become the most hated person on the planet :D

No, I don't assume anything. I'm working with current facts. There is TOS (legal document), and there is their client. All hypothetical "what would happen if" can be based on that, not on what they didn't say.

And DRM free means, that you now can make a backup, and legally install it later, even if the store closes down. That you can establish now, explicitly.

Quoting: BOYSSSSS

Quoting: ShmerlAnd if it's incorrect, why does the official backup tool make it impossible to restore it back without the client?

Because you could give the game to a user that hasn't paid for the game.

Which implies DRM logic, bingo! Now you are starting to get the point.

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Quoting: Doc AngeloThe Backup/Restore-Wizard is a tool within Steam. You don't have to use this feature to back up your games. You can backup any game by just copying/compressing the game folder.

That's not what TOS says. Technically you can copy files yourself, but it would run afoul of TOS saying that you need their client for installation. At least that's how I understand it. And that's what my point above was. And if it's incorrect, why does the official backup tool make it impossible to restore it back without the client?

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Quoting: BOYSSSSSYes

So you can't restore it without the Steam client. It's very well aligned with the TOS, which implies that it's required for installation (which should cover official backup restoration). And you aren't even allowed to use the client in case when you aren't Steam user anymore. Or you simply won't be able to, if Steam closes down and all you are left with are some DRMed backups. That means in those scenarios, your backups will be useless. Q.E.D.

All that illustrates quite well that Steam is DRMed by its nature. DRM-free scenario would mean that you can back up your package, and restore it later without any requirement for such clients, both technical and contractual.

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Quoting: BOYSSSSSI mean clicking "Backup Game Files" is not an automatic process.

The problem is with restoring from backup. Do you need Steam client to restore what Steam client backed up?

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Quoting: obscurenforeignThanks, guess I'll try and figure out how then.

You need to contact support for that.

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Quoting: x_wingLet the community fix the new issue is not what I call "helpful"

Helping the community fix the issue is called helpful. Ignoring the community because "Linux users shouldn't be bothering about Windows installer anyway" would be not caring.

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Quoting: BOYSSSSSThat's really confusing, so Steam TOS don't allow you to backup your games, and yet in my steam library when I right click a game there is "Backup Game Files"

And I assume same Steam client is needed to perform restore from it? I said TOS doesn't allow manual backup restore which is a requirement for DRM-free.

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