+1 Non-Steam version

That's not what I said.  I said lots of games have steam and non-steam versions.  Typically the non-steam versions are released as a direct download by the developer (such as the games I can download from the Stardock site) or GoG and the Humble Store are becoming quite popular.  A lot of kickstarter games are done this way because most of them shoot for Steam Greenlight in addition to having the non-Steam version for backers.

But it doesn't require you to remove the features entirely, they can check if Steam is running and if not disable them until it is.  That's apparently what Dragon Commander does and if so I'm sure it's not the only one.  I don't have a ton of steam games to check but if one can do it everyone can unless somehow Larian Studios got some special deal from Valve. Just because some people are playing it off steam isn't going to mean you can't mine the data from those who are playing it with steam running.

Maybe it's not worth the effort to do the checks though, I honestly don't know how many of us that prefer non-Steam versions there are.  I know it's not just me though, looking at kickstarters there appears to be a lot of us but "a lot" on a niche thing like kickstarter doesn't necessarily mean a lot in the grand scheme of things.  The point here is to let the developers know that there are those of us that would prefer a non-Steam version.  For some that preference isn't a deal breaker and we'll accept steam if we have to and for others of us it IS a deal breaker and it's a lost sale.  I have no idea how the value of those lost sales compares to the price it would take to make a non-steam version.  For me personally if I can't run the exe and play the game (even if multiplayer, achievements, etc. are temp disabled) without steam running then it's a deal breaker.  For me it's NOT a dealbreaker to require steam to download, install, and update the game.  It's not a deal breaker for me to have to have steam running for multiplayer (though again LAN play without steam would be nice).  I couldn't care less about achievements.

I do think though if it requires steamworks so fully that you'd have to "cripple" the game without it then you should probably update the FAQ to be more clear as the FAQ seems to say the "user account" (which doesn't mention Steam or SteamWorks) is just needed to enable installs and receive updates and support.  I guess you can technically say that everything else falls into the "support" category but that's kind of a stretch.  It might also be a good idea to show on the buy page more clearly that what you are buying is a steam code.  Maybe a steam logo or something more visible than the tiny "All game code will be delivered through Steam when available." at the bottom of the page.  I'm sure it's not the case but it kind of gives the impression that you're trying to hide the Steam requirement.  Just some suggestions to try to clear up some of the confusion.

Valve is good for PC gaming in the same way that dictatorships are initially good for countries that are in poor shape. It's a "Good Thing" for now, and probably for a while longer, but in the long run it's not beneficial to anyone (other than Valve). It's not good for customers whose choices are severely restricted, and it's not good for developers who can barely sell their games anywhere else, and it's not good for innovation. 

I don't blame you for adjusting to the market and protecting your employees and your company, in fact, I applaud you for it, but you used to have and voice the same concerns (one fish in the pond, the dependency on Gabe being in charge, etc.) as the people whose concerns you now play down ("entering a user name and a pw"). If anything, the situation is far more dire now than it was back when you pointed out the dangers of a quasi monopoly like Steam.

So... I have Steam now. Bought Sins of a Solar Empire so I needed that. So I guess I don't mind now if GC3 is Steam-only but I still would like a physical version and would be willing to pay extra for it.

In order to Keep Distribution in any way managable for stardock, they will have to use established Distribution channels.

All galciv games up to now were available via stardock store (now GameStop) as well. I would suggest - in order to Keep steam in check - to go to the declared arch-enemy (according to steam ceo) and make the game available via Microsofts own store xbox-games. that would put a crimp in "pinki" Newells plans to take over the world ...

pretty much all the game-developers. that are not able or willing to put in the (serious) coin to sustain their own store, should opt to have at least two options open, otherwise steam will just become as powerful as dear old microsoft once was, and that NEVER is a good thing.

That would be nice, yeah. Course int hat case Steam really is the only game in town as nobody else offers even remotely similar distribution and features across all three platforms.

Interacting with Steam "customer service"  was the most aggravating, hellish experience I ever had with any company.I will avoid them whenever possible.Borderline games....I just won't buy if it's through STEAM.

The consumer is king.Companies go out of business if they don't satisfy you, and get your purchase. You just have to have the fortitude to say N O !

I started SoaSE and my computer exploded after I tried to take out the disc, but not before I got dozens of pop ups to the SD store and it's malicious mystery drivers.

As much as I'd like a non-Steam version of this, and many other games, it seems unlikely, oh well.

I don't have a tablet, and I don't know, if my mobile even supports apps. It's pretty old, and I only use it to call people. However, even that is pretty rare. I think, I only used it once in the last four or five months.

Just curious, why specifically did you regret buying Shogun2 on Steam?  I use GOG as well, but it's more of a pain to use.  You have to manually keep track of updates and install them.  I couldn't imagine managing 120 games using GOG, when Steam handles everything automatically and brilliantly.

I've been a Steam user since day 1...to play Counter-Strike 1.6. If you think it's bad now, you should've seen it then!

-HM