CONFIRMED (again): Internet needed for RETAIL HL2.

[Homercidal]

I care. I have the internet. In fact, I have 3M Cable, soon to have 6M DSL. But I still care. Because I know people who don't have the internet, and they would really enjoy playing the game.

Who am I kidding. Both of them guys will get it activated, but it will require them to move their computers to someone else's house, just to get it authorized.

It's simple matter of Valve not caring enough about the smaller group of fans, when all they can think about is furthering their little project.

This has less to do with validating and piracy than it has to do with proving their concept and selling it to others. If they succeed, then they would make cash hand over fist, and to hell with the small guys.

 

[bobthecombineguy]

falve has spent More than Forty million dollars on this game, and if this works and saves them money, props to them. They exist TO MAKE MONEY! you should be happy they even made a game! If that means sacrificing the MUCH smaller group that dosen't have the internet, so be it.

 

[Mac]

falve has spent More than Forty million dollars on this game, and if this works and saves them money, props to them. They exist TO MAKE MONEY! you should be happy they even made a game! If that means sacrificing the MUCH smaller group that dosen't have the internet, so be it.

pfft, gabe was already rich before he started valve with some other rich dude (forget who)

they exist to make high quality games.
money is a side bonus.

 

[bobthecombineguy]

pfft, gabe was already rich before he started valve with some other rich dude (forget who)

they exist to make high quality games.
money is a side bonus.

Its a private company and they can do anything they wan't. if they want gordon to be a chinless transvestite hooker, thats their call.

 

[CR0M]

If that means sacrificing the MUCH smaller group that dosen't have the internet, so be it.

There it is AGAIN. I have internet, so must everybody on the planet.

ffs, if you're going to quote statistical facts do some research first and post the results to back up your GUESSWORK. It's this gullible sheep mentality that corporates rely on to dupe you into buying their products.

 

[Yogibbear]

But i DONT have INTERNET

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo........

That means i can't play hl2 OMGOMGOGMGOM!!!!!

Please help!......arggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh :cheers:

 

[baron insig]

THere will be a standalone version realeased for about 10 quid less than the steam ready cs sourceable version.

and it will jsut be hl2

from what i head this is still going to be shiped but it mighta been discontinued i dont know

 

[Expansion Pack]

THere will be a standalone version realeased for about 10 quid less than the steam ready cs sourceable version.

and it will jsut be hl2

from what i head this is still going to be shiped but it mighta been discontinued i dont know

I hope this is true....If so i might even buy 2 copies just to show my thanks to the HL2 makers...

 

[grumpycrab]

HL2 RETAIL Net Connection confirmed...

Q. Will the boxed versions of HL2 require any sort of Steam installations?

A. Doug Lombardi: During installation the user will be prompted to authenticate the copy and create a Steam account. After that is complete, the single-player and LAN games do not require an Internet connection


http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/half-life-....html?fromint=1

 

[Valve_Assassin]

Just so everyone is straight on the fact:

Sierra had plans for 3 versions of Half-Life2, Standalone, with multiplayer content, and with multiplayer content plus special edition stuff.

This plan got scrapped when VU took over. They now only have the 2 versions we all know about.

 

[Homercidal]

My question is:

Can you play Direct IP games via Internet, like if My friend and I wanted to play a quick game. Or maybe a few friends wanted to play a DM game but not on Valve's servers?

 

[sHm0zY]

I like the idea

 

[CR0M]

Spent my lunch hour doing a little research - gathering data from various sources. This is Internet user data only, in some of the largest developed regions. China, Canada and Japan were also among the highest stats but I ran out of lunch to fit them in too...

Unfortunately, there is virtually no hard and fast HARDWARE data out there (free, anyway) to compare with internet usage, as spending fluctuates, systems get upgraded or trashed and they are practically impossible to keep up with.

Even so, the results will surprise quite a few of you die-hard 'everyone has internet these days' robots.



Stats based on mid 2004:


Great Britain

59,595,900 population
34,874,469 internet users (22.41 million home users)

In the second quarter of 2004, 52 per cent of households in the UK (12.8 million) could access the Internet from home, compared with just 9 per cent (2.2 million) in the same quarter of 1998.

In July 2004, 58 per cent of adults in Great Britain had used the Internet in the three months prior to interview. The most common use of the Internet among these adults was e-mail (85 per cent) and finding information about goods or services (82 per cent). The most frequent place of access was the person’s own home (82 per cent), followed by their workplace (42 per cent).

In July 2004, 37 per cent of adults had never used the Internet. Of these, 48 per cent stated that they did not want to use, or had no need for, or no interest, in the Internet; 37 per cent had no Internet connection; and 32 per cent felt they lacked knowledge or the confidence to use it. These adults were also asked which of four statements best described what they thought about using the Internet. Fifty-four per cent of non-users chose the statement 'I have not really considered using the Internet before and I am not likely to in the future'. This core group of non-Internet users represented 21 per cent of all adults in Britain.


North America

325,246,100 population
222,165,659 internet users (170.60 million home users, approx. 50% broadband 50% modem)


Europe (total combined EU/non EU (including Great Britain))

730,894,078 population
230,886,424 internet users (home users unknown)


Australia

19.73 million population
13.01 million internet users (8.79 million home users)



Conclusive facts from all this stuff:

1) On average, we have only just passed the 50% mark for HOME internet use. To emphasise this for the mathematically challenged, that's only HALF the population.

2) On average, around 25-35% of ALL internet connections still use dialup modems.

3) It's looking like we are still 5-7 years off MOST people being online, going on the growth rate since 1998.

4) Canada has a larger amount of broadband subscribers than America.

5) By 2007 Europe will have overtaken the U.S in broadband subscriptions if the recent and consistent drop-off in American subscriptions continues.


Way to go Valve for alienating half of your potential consumer base by implementing online authorisation.



Sources:
Nielsen//NetRatings , ITU , and local NICs

Also: (UK)
National Statistics Omnibus Survey
Family Expenditure Survey (April 1998 to March 2001); Expenditure and Food Survey (April 2001 onwards)

 

[Homercidal]

I don't want to sound off for the opposition on this, but gathering data for the genearal population has little to do with potential sales of HL2. Of even computer users, only a small amount will even consider playing games, let alone a specific game like HL2.

A better number may be a percentage of people who are interested in gaming and don't have an Internet option. There might be a way to infer these numbers from other sources.

 

[CR0M]

The point of my data-rant was to prove that not as many people have internet as most people think.

Yes, you're right - for the gaming hardware v internet debate there needs to be a comparison, but as I said there is very little info on average home PC numbers unless you spend out on specific books or web documents.

 

[Homercidal]

Ah, yes. The numbers are actually higher than I thought, though Valve likely has numbers of their own.

Anyway, what it comes down to, is that it would have been nice of Valve to offer an alternative for people who dont' want to "activate" via Internet, or can't.

Even Microsoft has "unactivated" software running all over the world. It will be done. And, I gotta believe that M$ has more $$ to put into their R&D for anti-piracy than Valve. I suspect that there will be many unactivated HL2s in short order.

 

[Demonmerc]

What they should have is a toll-free activation hotline, which is what M$ does for users without an internet connection.

 

[KagePrototype]

The point of my data-rant was to prove that not as many people have internet as most people think.

There's the amount of people in the general populous who have the internet, and then there's the amount of people in the target demographic that have the internet. I think it would be more fair if you had any info on the percentage of gamers who have the internet (which will probably be a lot higher), I'm sure Vivendi and Valve aren't targetting this game for sale amongst pensioners and computer-illiterate people.

 

[mleko]

2) On average, around 25-35% of ALL internet connections still use dialup modems.

but there is some tariff to users which have dialup modems - e.g. here in Poland there is a tariff called "neostrada" where you use dialup modems but you don`t pay for time you spend using internet but you pay only some money per month (in english it is called "FEE" - i dont know exactly) so dial up connection but you can spend 24h/7d/365g using internet and not losing all your money

 

[Expansion Pack]

You just need to look at Windows XP activation over the net or phone which has become a joke,people who had bought the product found that after a while because of all the security holes in XP their machines were fubared to such an extent that only a reformat and clean install would sort out the problem and after a while they got sick of trying to log in to activte or sit waiting on the phone to get a activation key......All they did was either down load or visit their nearest local outdoor market or Bootsale and purchase a cheap cracked copy of Xp which circumvented XP's Activation,stuck in their bought serial key and away they went.......
If you make protection thats so intrusive that it annoys your customers and alienate's other potentional customers you might just find your once loyal customers will no longer give you their money and instead decide to by some other new game or worse just get a cracked copy.....
As i said this is quite an intresting time for gaming.....we will soon see where the chips fall...

 

[Valve_Assassin]

I'd just like to point out the dirty little secret about PC's...



Most people have them to play games.
Yeah that's right, I said it

 

[bernhard]

retail copies needing net connection

Will it be possible to authenticate a retail copy at someone else's house (who has internet) and then play it offline at my house as I don't have an internet connection?

 

[KagePrototype]

Will it be possible to authenticate a retail copy at someone else's house (who has internet) and then play it offline at my house as I don't have an internet connection?

You'd have to lug your PC over to theirs, as you have to authenticate using the PC HL2 is installed on. Either that or use a phone line and free AOL disc at your place.

 

[Unfocused]

Thx for pointing out that net is needed for the RETAIL version. I was worried I will need it for the Steam version.

 

[diluted]

If you can afford a computer good enough for HL2, and can afford HL2, you can afford one month of dialup in order to register the game. Some people act like this is a big deal..... it isn't. Just get a month of dialup for god's sake... it'll cost you like what, 10 bucks?

 

[dis]

Here's my problem:

I have a good computer, but no internet. I don't even have a land line at my apartment because I have a cell phone so I have no need for it. The only internet access I have is at my office at school. I guess I'll be downloading a no-steam crack just so I can play a game that I've legitimately bought. SO it's a bigger deal for some than others. If I hd a land phone line I could use my fiance's account on peoplePC. I could also take my pc to her house, but seeing as how she now lives ~2000 miles from me that's not really an option. And I'm certainly not going to drag my pc up to my office, or put down a 50$ deposit to get a phone line and then get a month of internet service. This is just a pain in the ass, that's all. Fortunately, the cracks will probably be out very soonupon release and seeing how many stores are already releasing the game maybe some sort of crack will be out by tuesday. We'll see...

 

[Ownzed]

Here's my problem:

I have a good computer, but no internet. I don't even have a land line at my apartment because I have a cell phone so I have no need for it. The only internet access I have is at my office at school. I guess I'll be downloading a no-steam crack just so I can play a game that I've legitimately bought. SO it's a bigger deal for some than others. If I hd a land phone line I could use my fiance's account on peoplePC. I could also take my pc to her house, but seeing as how she now lives ~2000 miles from me that's not really an option. And I'm certainly not going to drag my pc up to my office, or put down a 50$ deposit to get a phone line and then get a month of internet service. This is just a pain in the ass, that's all. Fortunately, the cracks will probably be out very soonupon release and seeing how many stores are already releasing the game maybe some sort of crack will be out by tuesday. We'll see...

Just use a free AOL cd for 5 mins.

 

[dis]

how can I use AOL when I don't have phone line? If there was a way to hook my computer modem through my cell phone to the internet, I would certainly do it, but I can't. I'm just SOL and will have to wait for a no steam crack that I can burn to cd or disk and install on my pc at home.

 

[Biggleska]

Just use a free AOL cd for 5 mins.

He has no land line.

 

[baron insig]

you can use a mobile phone to go on the internet however it a basterd to set up and costs laods my teacher used to do it in primary school (6 years ago ) !