oldagerocker
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i thought one of the main benefits of steam to valve was to limit piracy, well, if steam isn't needed, HL2 will be pirated all over the place! thats not good !
Do I have to have Steam in Order to play HL2?
- Thread starter The Monkey
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I don't know what sort of CZ you bought but mine had a CD key..
If you want to copy HL2 on to another system then use your CD. If you purchase the game through Steam then it really expects you to have Internet access. You can't just backup the cache file and expect it to work on any PC without authorisation.. hundreds of sites could just offer the full HL2 cache for free and noone would have to pay for the game. It's not too much trouble and it's just one of those things you have to do if you buy it online through Steam.
If you want to copy HL2 on to another system then use your CD. If you purchase the game through Steam then it really expects you to have Internet access. You can't just backup the cache file and expect it to work on any PC without authorisation.. hundreds of sites could just offer the full HL2 cache for free and noone would have to pay for the game. It's not too much trouble and it's just one of those things you have to do if you buy it online through Steam.
Shuzer
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Munro said:
Offline? Odd, I didn't have to.. then again, I bought mine off eBay, and it's the "Asia Pacific Edition," so it might be different.. I was a little worried when it didn't ask for my key, but it worked on Steam so I didn't think anything of it
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Must be a dodgy copy 
I just asked a couple of other people buying the UK version, all had to enter the CD Key during installation. Half-Life 2 will be the same you'll have to enter a CD Key in before you install it.
I just asked a couple of other people buying the UK version, all had to enter the CD Key during installation. Half-Life 2 will be the same you'll have to enter a CD Key in before you install it.
The Monkey
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So if I've got all this right...You have to have Steam in Order to play HL2, but it will be installed along with the game?
Shuzer
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Munro said:Must be a dodgy copy
Different region, different style, I suppose. It's odd, it's 100% English, everything's the same as a normal retail copy, except it's in the old style large box. It's in English and all that, the only way I knew it was the "Asia Pacific Edition" was because it's printed in small text above the CDKey label.
Edit: You know, I just realized it did ask me for my CDKey.. I just didn't remember because I originally uninstalled CZ in favor of saving space and playing it through Steam. Steam proved to be a little buggy for me, and I got odd performance drops, and upon reinstalling, I suppose the registry entry for my CDKey stayed in my registry.
Problem solved! I'm sure you're all suspicious of me now, since I sound like a dodgy warez user or something.. ;(
Mendasp
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If you buy the retail version, you will install it like normal, and ingame it'll use the Steam interface (which is why some people is confused about this), but you won't have to be connected to the internet, in fact, you won't need Steam, let's just call it... VGUI2 (wasn't it called like that anyways?). The first time you open it, it'll ask you for a CDKey, just like the original.
When you try to play multiplayer it'll probably ask you to install Steam if you didn't. If you already have Steam, well, you can click on Purchase HL2, and then it'll ask you to purchase it, or to type the CDKey if you already own it, and this is when it'll be converted/downloaded.
They did this with CZ, I don't see why they wouldn't do it the same way with HL2...
Edit: this is answering to the question The_Monkey posted
When you try to play multiplayer it'll probably ask you to install Steam if you didn't. If you already have Steam, well, you can click on Purchase HL2, and then it'll ask you to purchase it, or to type the CDKey if you already own it, and this is when it'll be converted/downloaded.
They did this with CZ, I don't see why they wouldn't do it the same way with HL2...
Edit: this is answering to the question The_Monkey posted
MaDMaXX
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Hmm, not sure where you guys are getting this info from, some is correct, some is quite outdated.
Steam as you know it now is just a standalone program.
Steam as it will be shortly, is actually part of the hl2 engine backbone.
Its essentially a built in launcher like the lucas arts stuff has, but this one has the power to launch all valve games, not just one.
It also plays the part of the wonid auth program.
Steam will run (in part) whether you have the single player only version or not, but it will be in the background, not exactly as you see it now.
steam at the end of the day is just a launcher program with online authorisation abilities, auto patching and security features.
Steam as most of you guys seem to see it is purely online play, this isn't strictly true, its just the part you see right now.
Steam IS designed for use online, if you have the coupon, its redeemable to buy the game online, don't expect it to order a CD and post it to you.
The CD version of HL2 will install on any system, with or without net access, but patches through steam will obviously require net access.
The single player version of hl2 will be playable offline with no connection to the net even after the computer has been disconnected from the net, thats the offline mode thats in the current version of steam.
any new computer the cache files are copied to, i'd expect that version of steam to require auth one way or another.
This will be either, because it was installed from the CD, auth by your key, or auth'd via steam online, key+email.
Steam as you know it now is just a standalone program.
Steam as it will be shortly, is actually part of the hl2 engine backbone.
Its essentially a built in launcher like the lucas arts stuff has, but this one has the power to launch all valve games, not just one.
It also plays the part of the wonid auth program.
Steam will run (in part) whether you have the single player only version or not, but it will be in the background, not exactly as you see it now.
steam at the end of the day is just a launcher program with online authorisation abilities, auto patching and security features.
Steam as most of you guys seem to see it is purely online play, this isn't strictly true, its just the part you see right now.
Steam IS designed for use online, if you have the coupon, its redeemable to buy the game online, don't expect it to order a CD and post it to you.
The CD version of HL2 will install on any system, with or without net access, but patches through steam will obviously require net access.
The single player version of hl2 will be playable offline with no connection to the net even after the computer has been disconnected from the net, thats the offline mode thats in the current version of steam.
any new computer the cache files are copied to, i'd expect that version of steam to require auth one way or another.
This will be either, because it was installed from the CD, auth by your key, or auth'd via steam online, key+email.
