Email from Gabe. Re: Pay 2 Play

[PriNcE oF SpAcE]

Originally posted by Feath
Team Fortress 2 isn't a mod.

Please understand that what you get for the subscription is Half Life 2, any expansions and any other games

Team Fortress 2 has NOTHING to do with Half Life 2. It's another game. Saying that it has something to do with Half LIfe 2 is like saying that Half Life had stuff to do with Quake.

lets play spot the contradiction!

 

[Rilcon]

Uh, what contradiction?

 

[Guest]

Its quite easy to spot

 

[Kamakiri]

Wow this thread has hit all the main big gaming sites. The comments at these gaming sites all have have mixed feelings.

Half say there is nothing wrong with this. The other half say there is. Bit like this thread.

I reckon just buy the normal MP/SP from the shop and see what happens.

 

[PriNcE oF SpAcE]

Originally posted by Rilcon
Uh, what contradiction?

hmmm I dunno this might has been a misunderstanding...

first of I don't thinkcontradiction was the exact word I was looking anyway...

the guy didn't quote anyone so it was kinda hard telling who he was reffering to...

but I understood it like he was saying that TF2 wouldn't be part of the subscribtion deal because it had nothing to do with HL2. yet he prior to that stated that the deal would include "other games"

thruth be told depends on who he was reffering to I just assumed eithet of the two right before him...and then it made sense the way I interpreted it.

 

[X-Vector]

There is no contradiction here, move along.

 

[PriNcE oF SpAcE]

yes there if that was what he meant to say.

 

[Xei]

Originally posted by addy
So erm. any ideas if the Original CS wud be p2p.. becuase 1.6is gunna be using steam .

When they announced that Steam is going final soon they said that you can access all it's existing content (CS, TFC, HL, etc) so long as you have one valid CD-Key from HL (or a retail version of a mod).

The pricing scheme stuff is interesting. The SP & MP box and collectors edition seem normal enough. It'd be nice if they could clear up the SP only and subscription versions though.

Will the SP simply not include MP content or will it include MP content but not allow Steam to authorise you? If the latter could you pay for an upgrade for MP access?

For the subscription, it sounds like it's more of a Steam subscription than a HL2 subscription where for a monthly fee you can download everything Valve produces from Steam, right? I can understand how it will work more or less it's how the content and prices will compare to the boxed versions that I feel isn't explained enough.
First of all a lot of us don't seem to understand how it'll be better value. If add-on packs are released as well as TF2 within a year then I suppose that'd just about make up the $120 but would you still own that content if you unsubscribed?
Secondly, will the extra subscriber content be more than what is released as boxed titles? If so how will people who bought boxed versions get that content, as an example would they miss out or have to pay a one off price through steam?

 

[Razak]

good god people, some of you want to make me cry. Where is the common sense. Its not that hard to understand.

 

[Nippy_Kangaroo]

Originally posted by rootbin
you will NOT get half-life 3 with the subscription, you will get new content for half-life 2 for free.

how do you know you will NOT get halflife 3 when it comes out with the subscription? i think were getting a little ahead of ourselves, I merely used halflife 3 has an example. I mean, gabe did say that you would get content for halflife 2 and GAMES via subscription so how do u know this doesnt include halflife 3?.... here it is....

The bad news is that when we come out with new content (expansion products, TF 2, and presumably other GAMES) then they have to pay separately for those. We're pretty sure that the $9.95 guys are going to get the better value, as we've been pretty good over the years at generating a lot of content.

In other words u wont get tf2, expansion packs and OTHER GAMES (might include hl3, who knows!!) with any other version except steam subscription route.

and you wont get halflife2 content for free like u say in your post you'll be paying for it via steam subsription ($9.95 p/m)...

 

[mortiz]

Well, it aint for free. It's for $9.95 a month.

 

[PointlesS]

sorry if these points haven't been pointed out...I only read up to about page 9 since I was downloading the Chrome demo and it's installing now...but anyways I just hope these boxes are clearly labeled...it better not be just a little line of size 6 text in dark blue type on a black background in the bottom right corner on the back of the box that says "single player only version"...anyways the subscription thing is kinda cool I think...if I understand it correctly (correct me if I'm wrong here) any full retail game that valve releases you already own and you'll probably get patches faster and map packs and all that stuff...it could also be a way to distribute beta tests of games...all subscribers are automatically in the beta test for tf2 or something...I like the idea because it does cover all options for people with various wants...

 

[Nippy_Kangaroo]

Originally posted by PointlesS
sorry if these points haven't been pointed out...I only read up to about page 9 since I was downloading the Chrome demo and it's installing now...but anyways I just hope these boxes are clearly labeled...it better not be just a little line of size 6 text in dark blue type on a black background in the bottom right corner on the back of the box that says "single player only version"...anyways the subscription thing is kinda cool I think...if I understand it correctly (correct me if I'm wrong here) any full retail game that valve releases you already own and you'll probably get patches faster and map packs and all that stuff...it could also be a way to distribute beta tests of games...all subscribers are automatically in the beta test for tf2 or something...I like the idea because it does cover all options for people with various wants...

thats the way I see it mate... just about everything valve makes you get for $9.95 via stream... looks like a good deal if it's correct :cheese:

obviously they will be something like a minimum contract to stop people from getting loads of valve software for just $20

 

[oMarKs]

mmm, i think i would go for the package where you get sp and mp. $10p/m = $120 in a year, i would expect to get 2/3 good games for that much money, can valve do that in a year, every year? just my thoughts maybe you'd get much more than that.

 

[Tork]

thanks for the info

 

[Nippy_Kangaroo]

I'm gonna go for sp & mp package but get it over steam if it's cheaper than getting it from a store.

 

[PlagueTheDrone]

the thing is
we have to pay to get silly mods like dmc, tfc, ricochet ? (edit: hl2 silly mods, i know i dont have to pay those for hl1)
or maybe models and maps they release as 'cool bonus stuff'

that dont seem worth 10$/month(thats 30$/month where i live )
they done that for free in hl1 why not in hl2 ?
will the ppl who have the SP+MP pack ever those things?

unless they are planning for some 'REALLY cool bonus stuff' (i dont know what THAT would be...), this subscription stuff is just plain stupid

and im saying really cool stuff every month, lets face it they wont release expansion packs every 3 month(witch would be 30$ fair for a exp pack)

i understand i dont need to subscribe but i cant see the subscription be worth its money

ps: sorry for my english....

 

[bentagon]

I'm not sure why a subscription service is so hard for people to understand. Think of your typical magazine subscription.. PC Gamer, or CGW, or Maxim, or FHM, or hell even TV Guide! You pay $10/month and every month (or every publishing period) you get a new magazine - only with Steam you get more. See, with a magazine subscription you can't get back issues free (usually) nor do you get other magazines by the same publishers for free.
What some of you seem to fail to understand is that you are NOT paying SOLEY for HL2 with the Steam subscription. What you are paying for is a subscription to play ALL games produced by VALVe. This means that if you subscribed to Steam today, not only will you get to play HL2 when it comes out, but you can (if you don't already have it) play HL, Blue Shift and OpFor as well. In the future, when TF2 comes out you will get to download it and play it as well - all without paying anything MORE THAN THE MONTHLY FEE.
The issue of CS and DoD is so blown out of proportion. The reason that there are Retail versions of these MODs (read: developed by the community) is that VALVe has REPACKAGED HL into a new package which contains just the mod and the HL MP engine. These retail packages are for people who do NOT already have HL and want simply to play CS or DoD - they are paying FOR THE HL MP engine (I realize there is no seperate MP engine - what I am trying to convey is that the HL engine itself is still not free and that what you are paying for is the use of the HL engine but since there is no SP component you are just paying to use the HL engine for MP purposes only).

Remember also that Steam is a service and as such, offers more than just "games". You will be able to download mods, tools, patches, etc off Steam, which will be (hopefully) a high bandwidth pipeline. Remember that people pay $10/month to Gamespy (FilePlanet) for a premium downloading service. While Steam's content will be more limited it's still part of everything you get in the $10/month you are paying. Added to that, Steam will also offer server listings for its games, a buddy system and chat features much like Gamespy Arcade.

Is VALVe trying to rip people off? No! Is a subscription service worth it? That will be the real question and it remains to be seen whether VALVe is prolific enough as a developer to make it worth the while.
If HL2 comes out at the end of September and TF2 came out in November and you bought them in a store for $50 each then you have just justified a Steam subscription for 10 months - if VALVe comes out with nothing new in 10 months. If, within those 10 months, VALVe did come out with an expansion pack or a totally new game, then the Steam subscribers will be reaping the benefits. If VALVe stumbles and does nothing for over 10 months then the non-subscribers may have saved money (actually, using the same economic model, VALVe would have to be unproductive for 15 months before the non-subscribers are saving money). So, you have to consider just how confident you are in VALVe's ability to produce games and expansions to make it worth your while to subscribe to Steam. Yes, it did take 5 years for VALVe to come out with HL2 but you have to ask yourself if that is likely to happen all the time or was it just that one time?

If I understand what VALVe is trying to do, I believe they are going to (or already have) try to get other game developers to use Steam as their way of distributing/selling their products as well. This may raise the price of Steam subscriptions a bit but in the long run, having a centralized location to download and play any game by any developer, whenever you want may make a monthly subscription quite worthwhile.

My only concern (and why I'm hesitant to subscribe to Steam just now) is if the Steam initiative fails or should VALVe go out of business (I hope not!!), then those who subscribed will be without an original copy of the game and should they ever uninstall/reformat, they no longer have access to the game. Of course, at that point, they could probably go out and buy the ones they want for $10 or $20.

Anyway, I'm going to wait and see. I just wanted to try to clear the air that this isn't some evil, "get all your money" scheme that VALVe has cooked up. And the most important thing to remember right now is that it's OPTIONAL. If you don't like the idea, you can still just buy the games you want from stores.

 

[Deadline]

Originally posted by Tork
thanks for the info

Nice Sig!

 

[PointlesS]

Originally posted by bentagon
My only concern (and why I'm hesitant to subscribe to Steam just now) is if the Steam initiative fails

heh...powerplay anyone I doubt steam will fail...they are really trying to make this work but what I fear is that it's going to be the cs 1.6 release all over again...it'll be posted for 15 minutes and it'll be down like a grown man getting kicked in the nuts...the amount of bandwidth that will be needed the day the game's released will be insane...the steam program itself seems like a great idea...but the thing I'm worried about is if they can have enough badwidth to go around...unless steam turns into fileplanet and starts with the waiting scheme for non subscribers and no waits for subscribers...I'm sure that would definately not go over well...

 

[Nippy_Kangaroo]

Originally posted by bentagon
I'm not sure why a subscription service is so hard for people to understand. Think of your typical magazine subscription.. PC Gamer, or CGW, or Maxim, or FHM, or hell even TV Guide! You pay $10/month and every month (or every publishing period) you get a new magazine - only with Steam you get more. See, with a magazine subscription you can't get back issues free (usually) nor do you get other magazines by the same publishers for free.
What some of you seem to fail to understand is that you are NOT paying SOLEY for HL2 with the Steam subscription. What you are paying for is a subscription to play ALL games produced by VALVe. This means that if you subscribed to Steam today, not only will you get to play HL2 when it comes out, but you can (if you don't already have it) play HL, Blue Shift and OpFor as well. In the future, when TF2 comes out you will get to download it and play it as well - all without paying anything MORE THAN THE MONTHLY FEE.
The issue of CS and DoD is so blown out of proportion. The reason that there are Retail versions of these MODs (read: developed by the community) is that VALVe has REPACKAGED HL into a new package which contains just the mod and the HL MP engine. These retail packages are for people who do NOT already have HL and want simply to play CS or DoD - they are paying FOR THE HL MP engine (I realize there is no seperate MP engine - what I am trying to convey is that the HL engine itself is still not free and that what you are paying for is the use of the HL engine but since there is no SP component you are just paying to use the HL engine for MP purposes only).

Remember also that Steam is a service and as such, offers more than just "games". You will be able to download mods, tools, patches, etc off Steam, which will be (hopefully) a high bandwidth pipeline. Remember that people pay $10/month to Gamespy (FilePlanet) for a premium downloading service. While Steam's content will be more limited it's still part of everything you get in the $10/month you are paying. Added to that, Steam will also offer server listings for its games, a buddy system and chat features much like Gamespy Arcade.

Is VALVe trying to rip people off? No! Is a subscription service worth it? That will be the real question and it remains to be seen whether VALVe is prolific enough as a developer to make it worth the while.
If HL2 comes out at the end of September and TF2 came out in November and you bought them in a store for $50 each then you have just justified a Steam subscription for 10 months - if VALVe comes out with nothing new in 10 months. If, within those 10 months, VALVe did come out with an expansion pack or a totally new game, then the Steam subscribers will be reaping the benefits. If VALVe stumbles and does nothing for over 10 months then the non-subscribers may have saved money (actually, using the same economic model, VALVe would have to be unproductive for 15 months before the non-subscribers are saving money). So, you have to consider just how confident you are in VALVe's ability to produce games and expansions to make it worth your while to subscribe to Steam. Yes, it did take 5 years for VALVe to come out with HL2 but you have to ask yourself if that is likely to happen all the time or was it just that one time?

If I understand what VALVe is trying to do, I believe they are going to (or already have) try to get other game developers to use Steam as their way of distributing/selling their products as well. This may raise the price of Steam subscriptions a bit but in the long run, having a centralized location to download and play any game by any developer, whenever you want may make a monthly subscription quite worthwhile.

My only concern (and why I'm hesitant to subscribe to Steam just now) is if the Steam initiative fails or should VALVe go out of business (I hope not!!), then those who subscribed will be without an original copy of the game and should they ever uninstall/reformat, they no longer have access to the game. Of course, at that point, they could probably go out and buy the ones they want for $10 or $20.

Anyway, I'm going to wait and see. I just wanted to try to clear the air that this isn't some evil, "get all your money" scheme that VALVe has cooked up. And the most important thing to remember right now is that it's OPTIONAL. If you don't like the idea, you can still just buy the games you want from stores.

Nicely put!! :cheers:

 

[Banana]

Originally posted by anarchy
I think its unreasonable to chage for it. And we both know CS was a huge success and THEN valve bought it...$$$
Whats to stop them from doing it to all the other good mods, that is my concern.

We meet again on the battle field

OK, this depends on how you look at it. You say Valve bought it, fine, that is one way of looking at it. I prefer to look at it as Valve offered to buy it and Gooseman (the guy who made this popular mod practically all by himself) sold it. He didnt have to, but he did. I think he made the right choice personally.

 

[dscowboy]

Wow, last night I waited 20 minutes for people to post on this thread. I get up this morning and it's 12 pages already.

I want to thank Feath for maintaining some order in this thread and keeping the fruitcakes from taking over. For all the "Valve is screwing us over!" tantrum-makers, allow me to explain a few things.

Item 1: We live in a "MARKET ECONOMY". If TF2 comes out and it doesn't look interesting to you, don't buy it. If nobody buys it, someone eventually will make a free mod to fill the gap.

Item 2: Call of Duty uses the Q3 engine. It's just as much a 'mod' of Q3 as TF2 will be a 'mod' of HL2. This is a very simple concept people, professional game developers CHARGE FOR THEIR GAMES. That's the definition of the word 'professional'. Were you expecting to pay for HL2 once and get every game that ever licenses in HL2 engine for free?

Item 3: For all the kooks posting "I'D NEVER SUBSCRIBE TO A... GAME... THING. EVAR!" You don't even know what's included in the subscription! Pull your panties out of your crack and get off your soapbox. Here's how it works, when you have the option to subscribe and you know what games the subscription includes, THEN you will decide whether to pay for it or not, just like the rest of us. If 6 months in the future Valve offers some new expansion that you're not sure if you want to buy or not, why wouldn't you subscribe for a month to find out? (That's a rhetorical question, please do not answer it).

I think the pricing model is a great idea, and will actually help people get a lot more value for their money than they would traditionally. People who are ranting and hyperventilating need to sit down, take a few deep breaths, and think a little bit.

 

[Feath]

Originally posted by PriNcE oF SpAcE
hmmm I dunno this might has been a misunderstanding...

first of I don't thinkcontradiction was the exact word I was looking anyway...

the guy didn't quote anyone so it was kinda hard telling who he was reffering to...

but I understood it like he was saying that TF2 wouldn't be part of the subscribtion deal because it had nothing to do with HL2. yet he prior to that stated that the deal would include "other games"

thruth be told depends on who he was reffering to I just assumed eithet of the two right before him...and then it made sense the way I interpreted it.

I was saying that what you get for the subscription was access to games and expansion packs.

AND I was also saying that TF2 isn't a Mod, it's a completely new game, so there's no point complaining that Valve is charging you for it. You were always going to charge you for it.

The point about it not being related to Half Life 2 was because people really seem to think that it's just going to be a mod and Valve are evil money grabbing whores.

When you subscribe, you'll get TF2 for no extra money while anyone who bought Half Life 2 in a shop will get TF2 for £35 (or $50). So it's kinda good.

And well said Bentagon.

 

[PriNcE oF SpAcE]

next time use quotes plz.

 

[Guardian]

It sounds like they want to cater to whatever price points people feel they want.

I've been playing HL for almost 6 years now, and I can honestly say that my 50 bucks has been the best money I've ever spent in gaming.

That said, Valve probably could have milked it for a lot more than they have. All the expansions and re-releases (Platinum/GameoftheYear, etc) have given Valve the time and money they needed to complete work on HL2.

I've found it immature for people to expect creative content to be free because it's been free in the past. Creating content is not an easy job, especially when that content is original. Original programming of renderers, tools, and networking structure takes time to do it right. You'd be hard pressed to find programmers willing to devote time and resources without epecting some sort of compensation.

Now lets include a publisher, law firm, ad agency, and miscellaneous costs. All are required to get the product out with a reasonable amount of quality control and in a reasonable amount of time.

This all costs money. I'm happy to see Valve considering different pricing schemes, because they are breaking ground on how games will be purchased/distributed in the future. The MMORPG's have been subscription only for a while now, with purchases of online content becoming more popular.

If people don't want to pay the monthly subscription, they won't.... Until Valve releases content that will be subscription only. It's a smart move on their part because they've seen how popular the products they give away for free are.

The original Half-Life is in my top 5 single player experiences ever, and considering that I've been playing computer games since '77, I've been around to see a LOT of games. The HL2 single player game is probably going to be worth the 50 bucks. I still replay HL single player occasionally.

I'll probably go with the subscription at 10 bucks a month because I'm the kind of guy who gets a season pass for skiing or the amusement park. 5 years ago, with the same choices, I'd probably have picked the full version for 50 or so bucks.

Mods will still be free but Valve created content will probably cost you. This is NOT a bad thing. Professional results are worth paying for. I'm surprised that more people don't charge for mods.

I'm not surprised to see the drama queens here screaming about different pricing. These are likely to be the same people who start a panicked crowd to rioting. I don't pay much attention to them, but wanted to voice my opinion on the different pricing schemes.

 

[Gunner]

Originally posted by Guardian
I've been playing HL for almost 6 years now, and I can honestly say that my 50 bucks has been the best money I've ever spent in gaming.

Originally released in November 1998.

 

[rootbin]

hmmm. i guess whoever said that was right. you are subscribing to steam, not half-life 2. in that case, its an extremely good deal.

BUT. i want the collectors edition. i want the poster and the figurine and the art book and everything... but i also want all the free content via steam... ahhh.. now what do i do ;\

 

[dscowboy]

Originally posted by rootbin

BUT. i want the collectors edition. i want the poster and the figurine and the art book and everything... but i also want all the free content via steam... ahhh.. now what do i do ;\

Buy the special edition and then subscribe. There's no reason why you couldn't subscribe after buying the special edition.

 

[Guardian]

Originally posted by rootbin
hmmm. i guess whoever said that was right. you are subscribing to steam, not half-life 2. in that case, its an extremely good deal.

BUT. i want the collectors edition. i want the poster and the figurine and the art book and everything... but i also want all the free content via steam... ahhh.. now what do i do ;\

Chances are good you can buy the collectors edition and then subscribe after that. I have a feeling that valve won't be turning anyone's money down.

 

[rootbin]

Originally posted by dscowboy
Buy the special edition and then subscribe. There's no reason why you couldn't subscribe after buying the special edition.

so in other words i'm paying $60-70 extra for a poster and box? negative. valve will find a way to cater to this. imo, they should have the collector's edition come with a six month steam subscription.

 

[Banana]

I read through all 13 freakin' pages of this post and had intentions on writing a long one myself to add to the mahem. I wont talk about the specifics of the 3 pricing plans though, enough has been said about that.

I want to thank Feath for trying to calmy explain things and for keeping a level head (this thanks go out to everyone who tried as well but Feath was more prominent).

Second, i just want to say that some of you people worry too much and dont seem to read enough. You jump to conclusions instead of calmly thinking about how all this news affects YOU. I am personally happy that valve is trying this. This is a new move by a gaming company (i think) and how it turns out will determine if it was a good move or a bad move in the end. Valve has to worry about how this move will affects ALL gamers. Each of us individually has to worry about how this will affect only yourself. For example (and i dont mean this to sound rude and if it does i apologize) but i dont care what copy of halflife 2 any of you buy. It is not my concern. My only concern for me is that i READ up on what will be the final options and then walk into a store and buy the copy that is best for ME. I think everyone should do this. There is too much talk about how this will affect "the community." I'm not trying to insult the community or anything, my point is that i believe the decision of which copy to buy has nothing to do with the community and more important, that is for valve to wory about.

Valve has given you options. Just STUDY those options and chose the best one for you. That's it. No need to complain or flame about it. I think valve has done a good job of explaining the options so far and i am sure more info will come as the game comes closer to sale. It is their job to make sure they put the information out there, but in the end they are not to blame for what copy an individual choses to buy. If someone goes to a store uniformed and buys a copy and later finds out it isnt what he wanted, well then he got what he deserved. People have to be informed on what they buy.

Also, in my point of view, nothing has changed. They have just given is more options but if people still want to buy a "NORMAL" game that comes with everything they thought they were going to get before all this pay to play stuff began then YOU CAN STILL DO THAT. END OF STORY.

PS- I'm tired, i just woke up. So if this doesnt make sense I apologize, and if people have specific comments about what i said, point them out and i will try to explain as i wake up.

 

[d8cam]

Well here is one of my thoughts.

I bet that Valve will also do this:

You know how you can either pay 30-40 bucks a year for a 12-issue subscription to PC Gamer or you can buy the newsstand edition for 8-9 dollars? I bet there will be a yearly subscription package thats around 40-50.

 

[mortiz]

Valve might release the extra stuff seperatly? I hope so because the subscription deal looks good to me also.

 

[rootbin]

Originally posted by d8cam
Well here is one of my thoughts.

I bet that Valve will also do this:

You know how you can either pay 30-40 bucks a year for a 12-issue subscription to PC Gamer or you can buy the newsstand edition for 8-9 dollars? I bet there will be a yearly subscription package thats around 40-50.

subscription services always offer lower prices the longer you subscribe, but it won't be near 40-50. probably more like $90 if you pay the whole year in advance.

 

[bentagon]

Originally posted by PointlesS
heh...powerplay anyone I doubt steam will fail...they are really trying to make this work but what I fear is that it's going to be the cs 1.6 release all over again...it'll be posted for 15 minutes and it'll be down like a grown man getting kicked in the nuts...the amount of bandwidth that will be needed the day the game's released will be insane...the steam program itself seems like a great idea...but the thing I'm worried about is if they can have enough badwidth to go around...unless steam turns into fileplanet and starts with the waiting scheme for non subscribers and no waits for subscribers...I'm sure that would definately not go over well...

Remember that what you saw was the Steam BETA which was free and thus had a lot of people using it. When Steam is live only those who are subscribing will get to download from the Steam servers - which will generally be a lot less people. As they get more and more subscribers, they can scale up their available bandwidth to match. That's assuming they do it right and not like some of the mmorpg companies out there who can't really handle patch day - even though they know how many subscribers they have.

 

[mortiz]

Actually after the initial day or so of the 1.6 BETA being released it wasn't too bad and I had no trubs getting on.

 

[Feath]

Originally posted by mortiz
Valve might release the extra stuff seperatly? I hope so because the subscription deal looks good to me also.

The extra stuff that Gabe talks about consists of Expansion Packs and Other Games. These will also be available to buy in the shops (or you could buy them over Steam).

Yes, you have to pay for the expansion packs and other games, but so do Subscribers. They pay $10 a month.

You will be able to get patches even if you don't subscribe. Subscription is another way of paying for the game, it's doesn't give you access to anything special or anything you normally would've got for me.

EDIT: Thanks for the praise, Banana. Heh.

 

[trantjd]

Originally posted by d8cam
Well here is one of my thoughts.

I bet that Valve will also do this:

You know how you can either pay 30-40 bucks a year for a 12-issue subscription to PC Gamer or you can buy the newsstand edition for 8-9 dollars? I bet there will be a yearly subscription package thats around 40-50.

I think that that's a great idea! I dunno if 40-50 is the right price for that or not, but I would be tempted to do it that way.

I'm planning on buying the special edition release in the store and then later, down the road, I might jump on and subscribe and I would be a lot more likely to do it if there was a cheaper way to subscribe for a longer period of time!

I like rootbin's suggestion of a ? month subscription with purchase of the special edition. That would be kewl!

 

[Nippy_Kangaroo]

I might go for the steam subscription if all you pay for hl2 in the 1st month is $10 to start with, I mean, peeps will be buying it out of stores for $40-$50? while others are getting it for $10 (i know, $10 is ongoing).... so you are saving money right off the bat if you go with steam subscription as soon as hl2 is released, compared to buying hl2 out of the shop then subscribing to steam.

the more I think about it the more I like the idea