What are the differences between the Steam version of Machinarium and the downloaded version (resolution? features? other?)?
There aren't any differences between the Steam version and the downloaded standalone version.
I only use Steam for Machinarium, so can I get the downloaded version (without paying again) and dump Steam?
The short answer is yes. Simply drag the Machinarium folder from where it's located on your hard drive for your Steam account and move it wherever you want; the file path is:
{YourHomeFolder}/Library/Application Support/Steam/SteamApps/common
Just make sure to drag the *entire* Machinarium folder out of the common folder, not just the Machinarium application that's inside the Machinarium folder....those other folders (00, 01, 10, and 11) need to be in the same folder as the Machinarium.app in order for the game to work.
Do this and you'll have a standalone version of the game. (And just to clarify, a main Machinarium folder containing the Machinarium app along with the 00, 01, 10 and 11 folders is *exactly* what you'd get if you were to purchase the downloadable game from Amanita or GamersGate or wherever...meaning it's not a workaround or anything like that.)
Only thing is that you'll lose your progress in the game unless you also transfer the .sol (save) file to a new location. Instructions for finding and transferring the Steam .sol file are in this thread:
http://amanita-design.net/forum/index.php?topic=1095.0.htmlAlso, does the downloaded version have the same problem of losing saved games if Flash is reset in Safari? I keep loosing my saved games if Safari (or a plugin) removes all Flash files.
Yes, it does. One suggestion would be to back up your .sol file.
Another thing you can do if that happens is to run Machinarium and, once on the main screen, type 'rebol' (no quotes). This will bring up a row of clickable numbers on the bottom which correspond to the different levels of the game...so you can skip to a certain level if your progress has been lost.