All retail copies back in stores

[hendrix13]

sorry if this ahs been posted, but almost all the retail copies which were sent out are back in store and eb has fired 6 peopleinlucding thier manager ..im not sure which area, but thatz wat i read on the rage3d forums (currently down)
Also all the people who got thier copies early will get a 50% off ...Lucky SOB's ...

And there is only 1 preordered copy which is left out there, but eb cant contact the person.

So far , it all seems safe, uless the piratews have alreayd got hold of some1z copy and burned it ...to try cracking it.

 

[Yombi]

wow if thats true, valve/vug/eb are quick workers. Oh, and don;t expect a crack out for the game till after release.

 

[Beserker]

I know my grammar and spelling too

 

[Swift]

It matters not. Now some poor sap is out of a job because the higher ups at EB are trying to asskiss Vivendi.

what if that dood has a family to support? what if he was hired on a special needs basis (mentally challenged)? and cant get work anywhere else? he's probably gonna suffer now.

 

[shapeshifter]

sorry if this ahs been posted, but almost all the retail copies which were sent out are back in store and eb has fired 6 peopleinlucding thier manager ..im not sure which area, but thatz wat i read on the rage3d forums (currently down)
Also all the people who got thier copies early will get a 50% off ...Lucky SOB's ...

And there is only 1 preordered copy which is left out there, but eb cant contact the person.

So far , it all seems safe, uless the piratews have alreayd got hold of some1z copy and burned it ...to try cracking it.

EB wasen't the only store to be selling the games.

Best buy did also, they sold over 20 copies or more before being told to take them back to the stock room.

 

[Yombi]

It matters not. Now some poor sap is out of a job because the higher ups at EB are trying to asskiss Vivendi.

what if that dood has a family to support? what if he was hired on a special needs basis (mentally challenged)? and cant get work anywhere else? he's probably gonna suffer now.

what if they sold them on purpose to friends / familly? What if they were told not to sell it, but they did. what if what if what if.....

what if it WAS their fault...and then again what if it WASN'T their fault???

 

[Swift]

How do we think they got the info about the release date? maybe it was just a memo buried under tons of other paperwork?

but your right, we never will know. Whats done is done.

 

[jacen]

what if it REALLY DOESNT MATTER IF BOXES GET SOLD OUT EARLY coz noone can activate it?

some ppl lost their jobs for nothing ... omg this is so bs.

 

[Yombi]

what if it REALLY DOESNT MATTER IF BOXES GET SOLD OUT EARLY coz noone can activate it?

some ppl lost their jobs for nothing ... omg this is so bs.

They broke a contract between the shop and VUG. Good job....

 

[NB.]

Personally i think this story is bs.

 

[The Mullinator]

what if it REALLY DOESNT MATTER IF BOXES GET SOLD OUT EARLY coz noone can activate it?

some ppl lost their jobs for nothing ... omg this is so bs.

You lose your job if you don't follow policies. What did it matter to them if they sold the game early? They could have simply not done it and followed the rules but they decided not to. When you break rules you have to be punished, they probably weren't fired for selling HL2 early they were fired because they broke the rules.

 

[cadaveca]

Anything for a game, eh?

 

[Mr-Fusion]

I bet they've done this for hundreds of other games...as soon as it's a VAlve product...BAM you're gone. Don't mess with Valve as anal pounding is delivered to the doer OF EVIL TERRIBLE CRIMES! Releasing a game a few days early should result in the death penalty.

 

[The Mullinator]

I bet they've done this for hundreds of other games...as soon as it's a VAlve product...BAM you're gone. Don't mess with Valve as anal pounding is delivered to the doer OF EVIL TERRIBLE CRIMES! Releasing a game a few days early should result in the death penalty.

Actually its Vivendi's turf here, Valve has nothing to do with all of this. Plus these things probably don't happen nearly as often for other games because there simply isn't enough hype involved. The more hype involved means the more people are going to get copies early plus the more likely the publishing company will find out and care about it happening.

 

[hendrix13]

this is not BS, the first pics u saw on the net floating aroudn witht eh guy holding the cds and cd layed out on the keyboard is dragonbalde's copy from rage3d forums ...EB has persnally asked everyone to return thier copies and for thier troubles they gte a 50% off.

i think all the other stores who gave out copies will be doin the same thing.

 

[f|uke]

So far , it all seems safe, uless the piratews have alreayd got hold of some1z copy and burned it ...to try cracking it.

the release groups might get it, but they're not going to 'crack' it.

 

[Eon Blue]

Can't argue with 50% off.

 

[redrain85]

LOL . . . you mean to tell me EB actually got pwned by VU? They're actually asking people to return their copies? That's too funny.

I would definitely return my copy for 50% off, though. Since the game is useless until the 16th anyway.

 

[Feath]

But aren't these copies already registered to Steam accounts now?

 

[Trinityxero]

mabey but the keys can be deactivated and the game will have to be re purchaces

 

[Element Alpha]

But aren't these copies already registered to Steam accounts now?

Good question. Anyone feel like guessing? There sure is some strange stuff going on. I hope they'll release it early on steam now (yeah right).

edit:

mabey but the keys can be deactivated and the game will have to be re purchaces

Oooo...it gets exciting doesn't it? Could they de-activate those keys and just sell the same boxes again?

 

[Baal]

what if they sold them on purpose to friends / familly? What if they were told not to sell it, but they did. what if what if what if.....

what if it WAS their fault...and then again what if it WASN'T their fault???

Exactly. We can't really feel too bad for the guy when we don't know the facts.

We can only assume what happened and say "well, that sucks."

 

[Para]

LOL . . . you mean to tell me EB actually got pwned by VU? They're actually asking people to return their copies? That's too funny.

Here's some simple math for you all:
Vivendi (the publisher) makes a contract with EB (reseller) on when to sell and what to sell and at what price. If the contract is broken, EB has to either get all the copies back or pay a huge fine for breaking the contract. The fine is so big that it'd be cheaper in some cases for the store to get a bunch of ninjas to steal the copies back using the most high-tech gear available than just paying the fine. It would also risk their chance to get any future chances to sell Vivendi's other games on the Big Day.

 

[mortiz]

Good question. Anyone feel like guessing? There sure is some strange stuff going on. I hope they'll release it early on steam now (yeah right).

edit:

Oooo...it gets exciting doesn't it? Could they de-activate those keys and just sell the same boxes again?

I don't think you can register Half-Life 2 retail copies quite yet.

 

[EviLGuY]

the release groups might get it, but they're not going to 'crack' it.

and what make you think so?
they can bypass steam as they did with cs...

 

[lonestar]

all this trouble and valve said, they would just unlock hl2 earlier, should the street date gets broken. maybe, they are going to do it, if the game will be released earlier in a timeframe of one day.

 

[jhero]

what if...we shutup until 11/16/04 ? :E

 

[Mikademius]

what if...we shutup until 11/16/04 ? :E

amen

 

[hendrix13]

yeah, actually how far is the 16th....?

GIMME HL2 now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kel Thuzad]

what if...we shutup until 11/16/04 ? :E

No, we won't.

 

[redrain85]

Here's some simple math for you all:
Vivendi (the publisher) makes a contract with EB (reseller) on when to sell and what to sell and at what price. If the contract is broken, EB has to either get all the copies back or pay a huge fine for breaking the contract.

Then read the in-store bulletins properly and don't sell the game early. It's their own damn fault they're in trouble now.

And asking the customer to return a product they purchased just because THEY screwed up, is a bit much to ask.

they can bypass steam as they did with cs...

But the files are ENCRYPTED right now. The warez scene didn't crack CS:S until it was decrypted. The same will be the case for HL2. No cracks until after decryption/unlocking.

 

[Spartan]

I'll probably need to crack HL 2 (thanks Valve), it seems that it will take another two (or even three) months until I can get an Internet connection.

 

[Para]

Then read the in-store bulletins properly and don't sell the game early. It's their own damn fault they're in trouble now.

That was my point

And asking the customer to return a product they purchased just because THEY screwed up, is a bit much to ask.

Which one would you choose as the store owner, get those copies back and give 50% refund or pay millions of dollars of fines and most likely lose a chance to sell any another Vivendi published game ever.

 

[redrain85]

I know what you're saying Para . . . of course, in their position I would probably do the same thing. But telling customers they have to give back their merchandise when the store made the mistake, is a bit ridiculous no matter what.

At least they got a 50% discount. But since the number of people who got it early was so small, I think when they get the game back they should get it for free . . . or get another title for free.

 

[Wesisapie]

geez louise, who really cares. im glad i dont work at a place like that. PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE. why do they have to breathe down his neck cause he sold a game? NOBODY is losing out because of that. it wasnt a money grubbing attempt either. it was just either someone incredibly excited about hl2 and just sold it anyway, or someone who didnt know much about games and thought "well we have here, may as well sell it now". if you weren't looking into the whole hl2 scene at all, im sure this would seem completely insane that there was such a big scandal over selling a GAME.

and they asked for the games back, while i personally would have said "no. you cant have it back", i cant say i blame them for trying.

the thing that pisses me off most at work is people who forget that we're actually people working, not just robots there to serve their every need as if they are some kind of baby.

fortunately i dont run into many of these people

 

[BladeTurbo]

It matters not. Now some poor sap is out of a job because the higher ups at EB are trying to asskiss Vivendi.

what if that dood has a family to support? what if he was hired on a special needs basis (mentally challenged)? and cant get work anywhere else? he's probably gonna suffer now.

well maybe he shouldn't have done what he did.

 

[BladeTurbo]

Here's some simple math for you all:
Vivendi (the publisher) makes a contract with EB (reseller) on when to sell and what to sell and at what price. If the contract is broken, EB has to either get all the copies back or pay a huge fine for breaking the contract. The fine is so big that it'd be cheaper in some cases for the store to get a bunch of ninjas to steal the copies back using the most high-tech gear available than just paying the fine. It would also risk their chance to get any future chances to sell Vivendi's other games on the Big Day.

i don't think VUG can tell what price to sell it at. that is why you have suggested retail prices.

 

[el Chi]

some ppl lost their jobs for nothing ... omg this is so bs.

Theft and breaking store policy.

 

[EviLGuY]

But the files are ENCRYPTED right now. The warez scene didn't crack CS:S until it was decrypted. The same will be the case for HL2. No cracks until after decryption/unlocking.

you cant know for sure if the files on the disks are encrypted, it could very well be just an activation code that you can get by phone also, if you dont have net... that what developers usually do on these case, but the point is that you cant know for sure!

 

[f|uke]

you cant know for sure if the files on the disks are encrypted, it could very well be just an activation code that you can get by phone also, if you dont have net... that what developers usually do on these case, but the point is that you cant know for sure!

There is no phone activation. It is online only. There has been a huge fuss about that and there is no doubt.

I'm sure the files are encrypted, but VALVe could just as easily left out a small peice of key data as well, making any attempts to 'crack' it totally futile.