Steam Digital Distribution Store Development Team introduced new support functions for soundtracks in the service, which it conditionally divided into two types: correction of the current model for selling soundtracks as additional content and completely new features.
Solving existing problems
So far, Steam has not had a Soundtrack application type. The closest in functionality was “add. content ”, so usually soundtracks were sold as a kind of additional content. If earlier this made sense, over time the soundtracks began to be tied to a large number of functions, characteristic only for additional. content.
Now a new type of application has appeared – Soundtrack. For music, it is much better than “add. content »:
- users can buy soundtracks without buying the game itself;
- users can download soundtracks without downloading the game itself;
- users can find downloaded and purchased soundtracks and manage them directly in the new Steam library;
- users can configure the / music / folder on Steam, where all soundtracks will be saved, that is, they will no longer have to search for them by subfolders in games;
- developers can download and manage soundtracks completely through an affiliate site without using steamcmd;
- developers can sell soundtracks even in those regions where the game itself on Steam is not for sale.
New opportunities
In addition to the fixes described above, the developers have added several new features.
At first, soundtracks now support several levels of quality. Each soundtrack will contain a set of standard MP3 files, but now you can add high-quality audio (for example, FLAC or unprocessed WAV) to the storage. Individual users can select these larger, high-quality audio files.
Secondly, a new interface for soundtracks has been added to the Steam library. While it is minimal, but it allows you to easily perform some of the most common actions, such as playing, searching and organizing content.
ThirdlySoundtracks can now include related content, including artwork and annotations. They can be seen on the details page of the soundtrack in the Steam library.
Existing Content
Steam already has a huge selection of great soundtracks. To help convert existing soundtracks previously configured as ext. content, developers have created a tool that will do this automatically. It can be found at the bottom of the tab. “Basic information” in the settings of the application page in the store.
By clicking the button, you will receive a list of instructions to complete the conversion process.
When converting, existing application numbers (AppIDs), bundles, sets and prices will be preserved. Users owning a soundtrack previously published as ext. content will become the owners of the new version after the authors publish the changes.
What’s next
Developers can create a new soundtrack for their game on Steam in the section related sets and ext. content, and if the game is not sold on Steam, the soundtrack can be created on the main page of the affiliate site. Soundtracks are created and verified similarly to other types of applications. Additional information on soundtracks is available in the documentation.
Initially, these features will be available only to partners. They will be presented to a wider circle of users on January 20, when a sale dedicated to the event will take place. Developers intentionally release these features in such an early state to get more feedback from both partners and users, and to figure out what needs to be done next.
See also: The number of Americans over the age of 50 who regularly play games is growing steadily.
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