Steam updated this weekend. It’s not the first time the client has had an update (it seems to do a new one every other day), but it’s the most meaningful for a long while. The first thing you notice is the fresh UI. 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Steam’s been stuck in an archaic looking system for ye༒ars, and a refresh to the storefront’s look is, well, refr🍰eshing.
It may just be a font swap and some little changes, but the store is far easier to navigate now. Sections and categories are ready to browse, banner adverts seem to take up less 🦋space (and are therefore less annoying), and your library is compl🌱etely unchanged so you can easily find your existing games. But there’s one far less noticeable addition: Steam’s very own notes app, hidden away in the overlay menu.
I take notes when I play games. Maybe that makes me a nerd (guilty), but it helps me a lot. Obviously I don’t always take notes. I’m not jotting down important info in the middle of an 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Apex Legends firefight or penning some strategy tips mid-FIFA match, but it’s useful in some situations. I’ve been playing 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader recently (it’s all I’ve talked about for weeks, you should check it out 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:if you’re into CRPGs), and there are hundreds of things to keep track of there. I’ve got trade routes spanning the solar system, ongoing negotiations with various dignitaries, and quite a few fights to take care of in the meantime. By taking notes, I don’t have to navigate the game’s menus every time I want to check up on something, and can instead consult my little table to see which planet needs my attention, and which kind of attention it needs.
The same goes for long games of Civilization. &🧔ldquo;We’re rushing science,” my teammate might tell me as I immediately forget what to research next. Was it Animal Husbandry? Are we going for a nuke? Instead of hindering my team with my puny memory, I write it down and can check back to my notebook at any time.
However, Steam has one-upped my humble notebook. I use pen and paper, but I know many people who just use Notepad on their desktop, and both options pale in comparison to Steam Notes. Steam’s notepad is overlaid on top of your game, so you can always see it and never need to tab out at an inopportune moment in order to refer back to what you wrote earlier. Think that might get in the way? Adjust the transparency, so you can see that vital corner of yourꦰ game through the note.
I’m not exaggerating when I’m saying that Steam’s notes app has changed how I play games. Not in the way that Tears of the Kingdom did, but in a way that has been an incredible quality of life improvement since the feature launched. I knew I wrote things down when I played games, but I didn’t ever realise how much. A simple shift+tab to bring up the Steam Overlay and another couple of clicks to bring the notepad up permanently is a godsend. No ꦇmore rushing around to find a pen to jot down a puzzle, no more switching windows to take note of a vital piece of information, just an easy to use pad for all your needs.
The notepad remembers what you wrote down in previous sessions, only shows you your notes for that particular game, and even carries your scribbles over when you change devices. Apparently, this even works in offline mode, although I’m sure you’ll need🙈 an internet connection of some description for it to function. Still, Steam has thought of everything and it works like a dream. It’s the update I never knew I needed, but it’s most welcome now it’s here. Thanks, Steam, for thinking of nerdy players like me.