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Should I use Steam or ARC?

I have all the PWE games that can be installed on steam. Should I have used ARC?
What does ARC do that Steam does not do?
Or, if there is no real difference, should I not use ARC?
Does Steam do something that ARC does not?
.
I read that ARC is a resource hog and uses bandwidth to stream downloads to other players, ala torrent.
So, that is odd.
I also read there is a Zen bonus for using ARC.
.
What do you do? Why? Recommends?

Comments

  • nightkennightken Member Posts: 2,824 Arc User
    personally I use arc for forum/giveaways/buying zen. I do not play with it or anything else for that matter. no point in straining my cheap as hell laptop anymore then needed.

    if I stop posting it doesn't make you right it. just means I don't have enough rum to continue interacting with you.
  • leemwatsonleemwatson Member Posts: 5,469 Arc User
    Steam has no benefit whatsoever, and it uses more memory than ARC. I deleted Steam completely as I have zero use for it. Saying that, I use neither. I prefer using just the game's launcher. The only time I start up Arc is for the Arc points and account stuff.
    "You don't want to patrol!? You don't want to escort!? You don't want to defend the Federation's Starbases!? Then why are you flying my Starships!? If you were a Klingon you'd be killed on the spot, but lucky for you.....you WERE in Starfleet. Let's see how New Zealand Penal Colony suits you." Adm A. Necheyev.
  • angrybobhangrybobh Member Posts: 420 Arc User
    I use Steam only because I play many other games, they have good sales, I have friends I keep up with on there, and STO is the only PWE game I care to play. That said, if you play many PWE games you can earn zen with arc quests.

    I feel that Steam is altogether superior in form and function(for a game launcher/updater) and with many different game companies represented there is a healthy amount of competition for your gaming dollar. Arc is just a launcher for PWE games so they are not really comparable products.
  • nimbullnimbull Member Posts: 1,564 Arc User
    Steam has been more stable then Arc for me in that Arc crashed out a time or two and the last time it crashed out it wouldn't restart at all. I had to completely uninstall Arc and reinstall it just to get it to fire up again. That being said Arc is Cryptic/PWE's version of Steam for their own games and tied in to their payment system better so you can buy all the online cash "Zen" you want for gambling box keys and other things.
    Green people don't have to be.... little.
  • cuchulainn74cuchulainn74 Member Posts: 831 Arc User
    The only really good reason to use ARC is that it'll gift you 500 free Zen now and then as you launch (and immediately close) various games. It's a reward system setup that's easy enough to get through.
    Fleet Admiral CuChulainn - U.S.S. Aegis KT Intel Dreadnought Cruiser
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  • nikephorusnikephorus Member Posts: 2,744 Arc User
    Neither.
    Tza0PEl.png
  • warpangelwarpangel Member Posts: 9,427 Arc User
    edited January 2017
    Arc has Arc Quest which gives you free Zen for installing other PWE games.

    Arc is a resource hog. At least on my compter it slows the game down very much since the forced move to dx11. Probably something to do with the "overlay" thing, maybe dependent on video card. But you can launch your game manually to avoid that so it's not really a problem.
  • rattler2rattler2 Member, Star Trek Online Moderator Posts: 58,582 Community Moderator
    I've had no problems using Steam myself. I do have Arc, but I only keep it around for codes. Only got the 3 Cryptic games so the Arc Quests take FOREVER for me.

    My fleet migrated from using in game voice chat (which is broken as all hell IMO) to using Steam. Best part is we don't have to worry about reteaming to continue talking, or worry about which faction you're on.

    Frankly... its a matter of personal preference on using Arc, Steam, or the native STO launcher.
    Arc bypasses the password login on the launcher as it is using the same login info.
    Steam is stable, has an in game overlay that isn't borked, allows you to listen to music or open a web browser when using the overlay...
    db80k0m-89201ed8-eadb-45d3-830f-bb2f0d4c0fe7.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2ExOGQ4ZWM2LTUyZjQtNDdiMS05YTI1LTVlYmZkYmJkOGM3N1wvZGI4MGswbS04OTIwMWVkOC1lYWRiLTQ1ZDMtODMwZi1iYjJmMGQ0YzBmZTcucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.8G-Pg35Qi8qxiKLjAofaKRH6fmNH3qAAEI628gW0eXc
    I can't take it anymore! Could everyone just chill out for two seconds before something CRAZY happens again?!
    The nut who actually ground out many packs. The resident forum voice of reason (I HAZ FORUM REP! YAY!)
  • seaofsorrowsseaofsorrows Member Posts: 10,919 Arc User
    edited January 2017
    I use Steam, but just because I use it anyway.

    I have a ton of games on Steam and can access my friends list while I'm playing which is the main reason I use it. Otherwise, I just run the game from the .exe as a stand alone.

    I briefly tried arc and found it provided no benefit to me at all. It's just a cheap Steam Knock Off that only supports PWE Games of which I only play STO.

    Plus, if you buy smaller quantities of Zen, Steam still has the $5 option.
    Insert witty signature line here.
  • boachevboachev Member Posts: 131 Arc User
    I just run the game straight through the .exe. Arc is a huge hog, and trying to play with it on gives me a noticeable, nasty hit to FPS that's gotten worse in the last couple months.
  • jaguarskxjaguarskx Member Posts: 5,945 Arc User
    I have a shortcut to the .exe file on my desktop. I don't care about Arc Quests because STO is the only PWE game I play.
  • kodachikunokodachikuno Member Posts: 6,020 Arc User1
    I have steam, and friends on steam I chat with.... thus do not need/want arc or uplay or anyone else's version of steam
    tumblr_mr1jc2hq2T1rzu2xzo1_400.gif
    tacofangs wrote: »
    STO isn't canon, and neither are any of the books.
  • evilmark444evilmark444 Member Posts: 6,950 Arc User
    Standalone launcher is the best option imho, I only installed arc long enough to get the exclusive Kahn costume on all my characters, then promptly uninstalled it
    Lifetime Subscriber since Beta
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  • kodachikunokodachikuno Member Posts: 6,020 Arc User1
    Standalone launcher is the best option imho, I only installed arc long enough to get the exclusive Kahn costume on all my characters, then promptly uninstalled it

    if one doesnt chat with steam friends while playing, this is probably the smartest option yes
    tumblr_mr1jc2hq2T1rzu2xzo1_400.gif
    tacofangs wrote: »
    STO isn't canon, and neither are any of the books.
  • neos472neos472 Member Posts: 580 Arc User
    i use both Steam and ARC but primarily Steam. I use ARC when there are giveaways or if Steam has gone down and is unable to connect worth beans to anything
    manipulator of time and long time space traveler
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  • narxes081206narxes081206 Member Posts: 84 Arc User
    Using steam here, no problems!
  • stee1maxstee1max Member Posts: 227 Arc User
    You DON'T need Arc to install the game, the cryptic launcher is all what you need.
    Also, you DON'T need Arc to redeem codes, you can do it via website frontend.
    Now, figure out.
  • dracounguisdracounguis Member Posts: 5,358 Arc User
    edited January 2017
    nikephorus wrote: »
    Neither.

    +1

    I use the old launcher. Old STO CD-ROM FTW!
    Desktop icon goes right to:
    C:\Users\Public\Games\Cryptic Studios\Star Trek Online.exe
    Sometimes I think I play STO just to have something to complain about on the forums.
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  • corelogikcorelogik Member Posts: 1,039 Arc User
    jamvaru wrote: »
    I have all the PWE games that can be installed on steam. Should I have used ARC?
    What does ARC do that Steam does not do?
    Or, if there is no real difference, should I not use ARC?
    Does Steam do something that ARC does not?
    .
    I read that ARC is a resource hog and uses bandwidth to stream downloads to other players, ala torrent.
    So, that is odd.
    I also read there is a Zen bonus for using ARC.
    .
    What do you do? Why? Recommends?

    I downloaded Arc because they do giveaways from time to time. As for actually playing the game, you can go into the folder and just launch STO directly from the executable once Arc is installed. That's how I run it. So I have no additional overhead from either Arc or Steam running in the background.
    "Go play with your DPS in the corner, I don't care how big it is." ~ Me
    "There... are... four... lights!" ~Jean Luc Picard
  • sunfranckssunfrancks Member Posts: 3,925 Arc User
    Standalone launcher is the best option imho, I only installed arc long enough to get the exclusive Kahn costume on all my characters, then promptly uninstalled it

    This, though I still use steam purely because I have 90% of my games with it, anyways.

    I think I still have Arc installed within a virtual machine on my server, just in case it is needed.
    Fed: Eng Lib Borg (Five) Tac Andorian (Shen) Sci Alien/Klingon (Maelrock) KDF:Tac Romulan KDF (Sasha) Tac Klingon (K'dopis)
    Founder, member and former leader to Pride Of The Federation Fleet.
    What I feel after I hear about every decision made since Andre "Mobile Games Generalisimo" Emerson arrived...
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  • glenn#1579 glenn Member Posts: 275 Arc User
    I use Arc because of the Quests. If you have the disc space you can make Zen very quickly by loading some of the other games.
  • berginsbergins Member Posts: 3,453 Arc User
    Count me in the 'No/Neither' camp.

    I was running ARC Quests for a while, honestly, I didn't find it worth the trouble. It did get me to try Stronghold, since I've been a fan of the single player version for a long time, but found it... meh... So, I'm back to playing only one ARC game, and am happy to not have the hassle.
    "Logic is a little tweeting bird chirping in a meadow. Logic is a wreath of pretty flowers which smell BAD." - Spock
  • glenn#1579 glenn Member Posts: 275 Arc User
    You don't have to play the games just start them.

    It is money for nothing.
  • cidjackcidjack Member Posts: 2,017 Arc User

    ARC
    Armada: Multiplying fleet projects in need of dilithium by 13."
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  • nimbullnimbull Member Posts: 1,564 Arc User
    edited January 2017
    The real final answer is reached by how many launchers you decide you want to go through to play the game.

    Arc - Yo! I hear you like launchers! So we put a launcher for the launcher to the launcher to launch the game.
    Steam - See above.
    Cryptic Launcher - Launcher for the launcher to the game.
    Game Executable - Launcher for the game.
    Green people don't have to be.... little.
  • jamvarujamvaru Member Posts: 14 Arc User
    mm, eh, you mean the cryptic window isn't necessary?
    .
    smh ;#)
    .
    so, i think i'm going to go more barebones, close steam, arc, and whatever else, to get that extra 1-2% performance, or maybe more.
    .
    you can just leave arc installed but not have it autostart with windows., same with steam. I like steam for having most of my favorite games easy to install, for when my hard drive crashes, for example.
    .
    question about the sto dvd/box... does it provide any benefits to redeeming whatever code comes with it? like more character slots or something?
    .
    oh, and how do i get the ARC quests started? I at least want to try their other stuff, and this would be a good reason to. But i can't figure out how to do the ARC quests.
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