Valve releases experimental game notification system for Steam

Newsbrief: The Steam edition of Frozen Synapse received an intriguing update today, which allows players to switch on turn notifications directly through the Steam client. The idea is that users can choose to receive notifications directly through the Steam client when another player has taken a turn against them. You can then choose to launch the game directly via your notifications page. Mode 7 Games director Paul Taylor told Gamasutra that Frozen Synapse is one of the first titles on Steam to integrate this new functionality of the Steam client. Another game that is currently utilizing this functionality is Small World 2 from Days of Wonder. Both teams have been working with Valve to iron out the bugs from the system before it is made more widely available to developers. UPDATE: When pressed for comment on the new feature by Ars Technica, Valve representative Alden Kroll offered the following statement: "As with the addition of a 'Recently Updated' section to Steam, this is another effort to shorten the distance between developers and customers. This new Steamworks tool allows developers to configure discounts for their own products, on their own schedules. They can define custom sale periods or opt in to regularly scheduled sales. This will enable developers to better coordinate their promotions with events, announcements, or major updates they are planning for their products."