The latest batch of features for Valve's line of publishing and development tools, Steamworks, appear to be some of the best yet.

If you're scratching your head at the quote from this post's title, it's understandable. In addition to Steamworks' current set of anti-piracy measures, the new Custom Executable Generation (CEG) technology will sweeten the deal for devs without making consumers feel like they're renting games and not actually owning the ones they paid for.

In layman's terms, "CEG makes unique copies of games for each user allowing them to access the application on multiple machines without install limits and without having to install root kits on their PC." Sounds painless enough.

Also included in the list of Steamworks additions is support for in-game DLC (premium or free) that allows players to download and play new content without restarting the game session, and the lobby system from Left 4 Dead. It may not sound terribly exciting as a consumer, but it will mean a better user experience in the long run.

And while we're on the topic, I think it's also worth mentioning that today's Ubisoft sale on Steam is 50% off Prince of Persia, bringing the price all the way down to a cool $24.99.

STEAMWORKS MAKES DRM OBSOLETE

Suite of Services Expands With Customer Executable Generation (CEG), Support for DLC, Matchmaking, and More

March 24, 2009 - Valve today announced a new set of advanced features delivered in Steamworks, a complete suite of publishing and development tools that are available free of charge to developers and publishers worldwide.

Headlining the new feature set is the Custom Executable Generation (CEG) technology that compliments the already existing anti-piracy solution offered in Steamworks. A customer friendly approach to anti-piracy, CEG makes unique copies of games for each user allowing them to access the application on multiple machines without install limits and without having to install root kits on their PC.

The new features also include support for in-game downloadable content (DLC) and matchmaking. The in-game DLC support allows developers to deliver new content as they choose (paid or free) from inside the game itself, allowing users to make immediate purchases and experience the new content in the same game session. The Steamworks matchmaking now includes the robust lobby system shipped and tested in Left 4 Dead.

"Delivering this extension of services on Steamworks first anniversary, demonstrates our commitment to continually develop the platform to better serve the community working with these tools," said Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve. "As we roll out these features, we continue to look for new ways make PC games easier to create and better for customers to experience."

Steamworks was launched in early 2008 and has already shipped in products distributed at retail and electronically with major PC releases such as Empire: Total War, Dawn of War II, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, and Football Manager 2009.

The Steamworks services are offered free of charge to developers and publishers around the world. In addition to the services added in this spring's extension, Steamworks offers support for Steam Achievements, Steam Community, Auto Updating, Statistics, Steam Cloud and more.

Steamworks is fully integrated with the Steam, a leading platform for the delivery and management of PC games that has grown to reach 20 million accounts throughout the world, up from 15 million accounts just one year ago. Steam now offers over 500 applications to gamers in every country of the world.

For more information, please visit www.steamgames.com