Codeusa was my alias from like 2005, stopped using it awhile ago but if you google it my old work from when i was kid/teenager will show up. I was getting into code, I live in the usa. I was not very imaginative.
Anyway here was the opening post since it seems it got removed.
In January I put my softwareSteam Cleaner on Greenlight and the community as a whole supported it in mass, it took the number one spot almost instantly and it just sat there.
On March 24th I received notice that Steam Cleaner was not compatible with Steam as it deletes files; even though it only removes recoverable files. So I made adjustments to the software, removed the deletion option for the Steam release and this is the message I received back.
I understand, and thank you for your changes. But to clarify: We are currently focusing on a categories of software for game developers and content creators. These are the valid categories of software that we are accepting for now:
• Animation & Modeling • Audio Production
• Design & Illustration
• Photo Editing
• Video Production
We'd like to accept all kinds of software on Steam, but right now we need to focus on a smaller scope until we have better tools and processes in place.
Under these guidelines all utilities targeted towards people who actually play games are not “acceptable software”. My software Borderless-Gaming which is a top seller on Steam would not be accepted through Greenlight if I tried to do it today. The current #1 spot on Greenlights software Game Pipe is also not “acceptable software”. Software that helps manage Steam accounts, voice command utilities, ShareX, Dimm Drive and CPUCores would be denied under these guidelines.
The software listed in the above guidelines doesn't sell well, it doesn't even get a lot of attention. The software greenlight gets less than 25 submissions per month, as this is typed there are only 139 software greenlights, a majority of which are removed by the authors. Most steam users don't even browse the software greenlight section, you're lucky to get a couple of yes votes per week if you don't advertise.
This is the complete opposite of the game section, which actually does need quality control. All games are given a front page platform on submission to greenlight, you can get a lot of attention without even advertising.
Many developers like myself do what we do for free, we don't do it with money in mind, we do it because we want to help create a better platform for PC. Putting open source/free software on Steam is a way to generate some revenue and keep the lights on, but with these new unannounced guidelines we're officially being pushed out of a market we help make tolerable. The software section on Steam store is mostly vaporware or software no one is ever going to purchase. Quality products are being left in the dark with no real communication and a lot of wasted time.
Greenlight is in need of reform, this is not the reform anyone had in mind. Its alienating genuinely good developers and people with no real goal in mind.
