Valve has released a new Steam update that gives your Library a nice lick of paint. It’s more aesthetically pleasing, for a start, bringing it more in line with the Epic Store’s beautiful layout. Some other additions, meanwhile, make it easier to keep track of what’s going on with your games, and who among your friends is playing them.
For a start, the landing page has been improved, making it easier to see all your games. The sleek design is more concise and readable, making browsing and checking to see what your friends are up to much more pleasurable. The amount of information available has been considerably increased, too, allowing players to see more of a game’s update history, as well as a brief summation of what’s going on with the current version.
On that note, there’s the new ‘Events’ feature, which aims to make it easier for developers to inform players a major update is coming, and for players to quickly understand what’s happening if they’ve been away from a game for a while. On a game’s page in your library, there’ll be an activity section that, when clicked opens a window that explains everything. Easy, convenient, and Valve believe it strikes a balance between keeping everyone informed without intruding on anyone.
There was a recent discovery that Steam were testing another addition that lets developers nudge players about Steam reviews. If someone leaves a review after only a few hours of a game, then plays for another 90, Steam will request they go back to their review and update the feedback. Currently, that appears to only be on Steam beta clients for the moment.
EA is returning to Steam after several years away, starting with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order on November 15. The likes of Apex Legends and Battlefield V will follow suit next year, all part of a subscription service called EA Access that will run within Steam.
Steam’s Halloween sale is on until this Friday, and then we have the autumn and winter sales to look forward to.