diff --git a/docs/gettingstarted.html b/docs/gettingstarted.html index 011f5dc..eab6eda 100644 --- a/docs/gettingstarted.html +++ b/docs/gettingstarted.html @@ -10,6 +10,11 @@

Getting Started

portal is where you'll be able to manage each of your products, and your account and company information.

+If you're trying to just get up to speed on Steam, check out our +quick-start guide here.
+

  1. Set Up Steamworks Account

    diff --git a/docs/home.html b/docs/home.html index f8d7342..b98737b 100644 --- a/docs/home.html +++ b/docs/home.html @@ -31,3 +31,6 @@

    Welcome to Steamworks!

    Here's the place where you learn how to integrate! +
    +Looking for a quick-start guide, or need a shorter list of pages to start with? +Try this. diff --git a/docs/links.json b/docs/links.json index a51c6cd..aa889b7 100644 --- a/docs/links.json +++ b/docs/links.json @@ -339,6 +339,7 @@ "marketing/wishlists", "multiplayer/steamdatagramrelay", "pricing", + "quickstart", "resources/gdc2019", "resources/igdx2023", "resources/kl2023", diff --git a/docs/quickstart.html b/docs/quickstart.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..20c26fa --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/quickstart.html @@ -0,0 +1,1071 @@ +

    Quick Start Guide

    +New to Steam or looking for a refresher on important topics?
    +
    +Our most useful and popular documentation pages are listed below, sorted by function. This is +not an exhaustive list of articles on Steam, but is meant to give you a place to start.
    +
    +One of the first things to understand is that Steam refers to the customer-facing platform where +customers buy games, write reviews, discuss game strategies, post screenshots, and more. Steamworks +is the backend platform that holds the tools that allow developers and publishers to make changes to +their public-facing Steam pages, upload builds, manage their banking information, and more. +

    Table of Contents

    +
    Required Reading
    + + + + + +
    General Knowledge + Topics in this section are important for you to understand, regardless of your role, as + foundational information on How Steam Works. +
    +
    Sorted by Topic
    + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
    Steamworks - Account Management + Organizing your Partner account on Steam, including details on banking, tax, and + permissions. +
    Game Development + A non-exhaustive list of the many game development options and tools that are available + on Steam. +
    Release ManagementRequirements, tools, and best practices on managing your game's lifecycle on Steam.
    MonetizationPricing, discounting, game monetization models, and more.
    Marketing + All things marketing on Steam, and some details on managing marketing from off Steam + too. +
    Advanced Tools + Once you've got the basics down, there's even more you can do with your game on Steam. +
    +

    General Knowledge

    +There are some things that you should know about, regardless of your role, if you're going to be +using Steam. Here's a short list of what you probably want to know. +

    How Steam Is Organized

    + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
    TopicLinkNotes
    Applications + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/application + + Applications are the backbone of how Steam organizes and manages your game. This is + important information that every Steamworks user should understand. +
    Packages + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/application/packages + + When customers purchase your game, they purchase a package, not an Application - learn + more about how that works here. +
    Wishlists + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing/wishlist + + Customers can wishlist your game, which signals strong interest and enables emails to + them when your title goes through major milestones. These are very important signals + both before and after your game launches. +
    +

    How Your Game is Presented to Customers

    + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
    TopicLinkNotes
    Coming Soon + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/coming_soon + + Learn more about the Coming Soon phase of release, where your store page is public to + customers but not yet available for sale. +
    Store Pages + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/page + + Your store page is the face of your game. Learn more about getting it approved and how + to change it. +
    User Reviews + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/reviews + + Steam reviews are a valuable tool for customers to learn about your game. Learn more + about how those work here, including advice on how to handle them. +
    Wishlists + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing/wishlist + + Customers can wishlist your game, which signals strong interest and enables emails to + them when your title goes through major milestones. These are very important signals + both before and after your game launches. +
    +

    How Customers Find Your Game

    + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
    TopicLinkNotes
    Tags + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/tags + + Ever wonder how Steam categorizes games? Well, firstly, you do - and here's how + to set it up. +
    Visibility on Steam + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing/visibility + + Ever wonder what determines where your game shows up? Learn more about how that works + across Steam and on the front page here. +
    Upcoming (Sales) Events + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing/upcoming_events + + Steam runs many events, including Seasonal Sales, Next Fest, and theme Fests. Learn more + about what's upcoming, and how to join, on this page. +
    +

    Steamworks - Account Management

    +Are you responsible for finances, keeping up on paperwork or managing permissions? Here are the +pages you want to be aware of.
    +
    + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
    TopicLinkNotes
    Onboarding to Steam + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/gettingstarted + + Learn more about how to get started on Steamworks, the back-end portal that helps you + manage your game on Steam. +
    Managing Your Steamworks Account + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/gettingstarted/managing_users + + Learn more about organizing your users, your groups, and giving the right people the + right permissions. +
    Finance + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/finance + Revenue reporting, refund reporting, tax FAQ and more!
    +

    Game Development

    +This catch-all section has information on all things technical, common Steam features, and more. +

    Steam Features

    + + + + + + + Here are some common Steam features that you may want to integrate in your game.
    + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
    TopicLinkNotes
    Localization and Languages + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/localization + + Learn more about how to support multiple languages on Steam. As a global platform, + localization is important to maximizing visibility. +
    Early Access + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/earlyaccess + + Early Access allows games to be sold ahead of 1.0 release, and is a promise to customers + to take customer feedback into consideration during the development process. Early + Access is not a marketing tool, and not a pre-purchase. +
    Demos + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/application/demos + + Steam has the ability to provide free demos for your customers so that they can try + before they buy. Learn more here. +
    Steam Playtest + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/playtest + + Steam Playtest is a free, low-risk way to get playtesting data on your game. This tool + works for both small closed betas and large technical stress tests. +
    Multiplayer + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/multiplayer + + Does your game support multiplayer? Learn more about the tools available to you here. +
    Steam Remote Play + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/remoteplay + + Remote Play Together allows friends to join an active gaming session as if they were + sitting at the same computer. You can also use this to enable remote testing without + having to download any files +
    Steam Workshop + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/workshop + + Workshop houses User Generated Content, and here's how to implement it in your game. +
    +

    Technical Features

    +Here are some more technical Steam features that you should consider integrating into your game.
    + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
    TopicLinkNotes
    Steam Cloud + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/cloud + + Easy and transparent remote file storage for your game - save files, settings, and more! +
    Steam DRM + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/drm + + Learn more about verifying game ownership and ensuring Steamworks features work properly + with Steam DRM. +
    Steam Input + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/steam_controller + The hub for all things input device (ie controllers!) on Steamworks.
    +

    Technical References

    + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
    TopicLinkNotes
    Builds + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/application/builds + + Builds determine what content is being delivered to the customer. That, and more about + beta branches, here. +
    Testing Your Game + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/testing + + Be sure to test that your game works, and that your game works on Steam. More on how to + do that here. +
    Common Redistributables + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/common_redist + + Have a redistributable your game needs? Learn more about using Common ones here and let + us do the install script work. +
    User Authentication + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/auth + + Steamworks exposes multiple methods for authenticating a Steam user's identity, and + verifying ownership of an application. Learn more here. +
    Virtual Reality + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/steamvr + Learn more about SteamVR, and how to get your VR game to work on Steam.
    Uploading to Steam + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/sdk/uploading + Here's our head to toe walkthrough on uploading things to Steam.
    +

    SDK + APIs

    +Looking for how to get your game on Steam? That, and APIs, here.
    + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
    TopicLinkNotes
    The Steamworks SDK + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/sdk + This is how you upload your game to Steam. Very important.
    Steamworks API Overview + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/sdk/api + + If you want to get into some of the features Steam has, the Steamworks API is how you do + a lot of it. +
    Steamworks API Reference + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/api + Now that you know how to do API calls, here's the list of things you can do.
    Web API Overview + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/webapi_overview + + Steam has a web API which you can use to access Steamworks features. Learn more about + how to access it here. +
    Web API Reference + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/webapi + + And now that you've learned how to access it, look at the list of things you can do with + it. +
    +

    Release Management

    +We try and make releasing your game on Steam relatively simple; even still, you can be extra +prepared by taking a look at the topics below before you have to do it.
    +
    + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
    TopicLinkNotes
    Coming Soon + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/coming_soon + + Learn more about the Coming Soon phase of release, where your store page is public to + customers but not yet available for sale. +
    Getting Ready for Release + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/releasing + Learn more about the two checklists that are required for release.
    Graphical Assets + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/assets + + Learn more about all of the types of graphic assets you'll need to prepare to release + your title. +
    Trailers + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/trailer + + Trailers are required to release on Steam. More on best practices and requirements here. +
    Release Dates + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/release_dates + + Ready to tell the world when your release date is? Learn more about your options here. +
    Releasing My Game + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/types + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/review_process + There are a few ways to release on Steam - learn more about them here.
    Updating Your Game + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/updates + + Steam is built around the core functionality of keeping your game up-to-date with the + latest build of your game. We've collected some best practices for you to review here. +
    Game Removal/Retirement + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/retire_app + + If you need to stop selling your game for some reason, learn more here about how to + accomplish that. +
    Steam Keys + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/keys + + Steam keys are a free service that allows you to sell your game on other stores, provide + access to beta testers, and more. There are strict rules around keys - learn more here. +
    +

    Monetization

    +There are many ways you might try and monetize your game - here are your options on Steam, as well +as additional information regarding discounting and pricing your title.
    +
    + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
    TopicLinkNotes
    Pricing + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/pricing + + The price of your game is entirely up to you, but learn more about our rules and best + practices here. +
    Discounting + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing + Information on running discounts on Steam, along with cooldown rules.
    DLC + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/application/dlc + + If you have additional content - from anything from an expansion to cosmetics - and you + want to offer that at a cost directly on the store page of the game? That's DLC. +
    Free to Play + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/freetoplay + + Free to Play is a way to provide your game to customers for free to download. This + includes games with in-app purchases (Free to Play/F2P) and totally free experiences + (free). +
    Microtransactions (IAP) + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/microtransactions + Learn more about in-game purchases on Steam.
    Pre-Purchases + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/prepurchase + + Most games will not qualify for pre-purchases on Steam. But if you think it could be + you, read on to learn more about our requirements. +
    +

    Marketing

    +Articles in this section are focused around marketing - both things that can be done on Steam, as +well as tips and tricks for Steam as a platform.
    +
    + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
    TopicLinkNotes
    Features & Tools + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing/tools + + A primer on the many features and tools you can use to market your game on Steam. Many + of those tools have individual pages, listed below. +
    Best Practices + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing/bestpractices + Our best practices, summarized in one neat page.
    Events and Announcements + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing/event_tools + + We think talking to your customers is really important. Steam has a system built to help + you communicate. +
    Upcoming (Sales) Events + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing/upcoming_events + + Steam runs many events, including Seasonal Sales, Next Fest, and theme Fests. Learn more + about what's upcoming, and how to join, on this page. +
    Steam Community + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/community + + All games have a community hub by default. Learn more about what goes on in there - + discussions! screenshots! news! reviews! guides! +
    Developer and Publisher Homepages + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/creator_homepage + + Developer and Publisher Homepages are a central location on Steam for customers to view + all the games made by your organization. +
    Franchise Pages + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/franchise_pages + Franchise Pages are a way for you to organize a set of related games together.
    Livestreaming + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/broadcast + + You can livestream to your store page or an event page. Learn more on how to accomplish + that here. +
    +

    Advanced Tools

    +Okay, you've read all the other stuff. Here are some topics you might want to read about next.
    +
    + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
    TopicLinkNotes
    Profile Features + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing/profile + + Once your game has gained enough popularity, Steam unlocks a set of features for your + title like Trading Cards and Badges. +
    Steam Community Items + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing/tradingcards + + Learn more about Steam Trading Cards, Badges, and more and get templates on what those + should look like. +
    Steam Deck + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/steamdeck + + Steam Deck is our next generation handheld gaming device - learn more about preparing + your game for the device, our verification program, and various social assets. +
    Promotional Sale Pages + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/promo + Want to create a custom sale landing page on Steam? This is the page for you.
    Steam Families + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/families + + Steam Families is a feature that allows users to play games from up to five close family + members' libraries. Learn more here. +
    Steam Inventory Service + https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/inventory + + This feature allows persistent player inventories, which allows you to drop items to + users' Steam inventories, or grant them based on specific triggers. +
    +
    +If you're looking for more information, you'll have to go digging in the documentation. If you have +any questions that aren't answered by reviewing documentation, please feel free to +message us via the Support Portal.