F*CK You Valve I Cant Play Half Life 2 Becasue Of Your Goddam Piracy Bullshit!!!!

[Llama]

So what AOL CD deprived part of Europe are you hiding away in exactly, newly registered first time poster? :dozey:

My uncle received a free AOL C.D in South Africa, Europe shouldn't be a problem. :rolling:

Tommorows News : Half Life 2 delayed until 2007

*Dies*

 

[Freddy2Fred]

Do you actually have HL2 the game ?

 

[f0rked]

Name me one other game currently out or on the shelves that requires me to have an online activation plus installing their client just to play the game in singleplayer.

Granted it's not a game, but still, I bet you didn't whine this much when Windows XP came out, and had forced activation. Sure it won't stop the hackers, but the effort in applying cracks and such discourage many from doing it. It's going to be exactly the same with Steam. Activating online is not that big a deal. It discourages piracy, and if you don't have internet (like the majority of computer users do) then you won't be able to play the game. Unless Valve add an activate by phone option. Even if they don't, the people who can't play will be a very small minority. Also, what's to stop them from plugging a 56k modem in with an AOL free trial as so many have mentioned earlier.

 

[thre3dee]

Yeah, I'll have to take the modem out of our family comp and put it in my as I don't have the net hooked up to mine. But its a small sacrifice.

 

[SunHawk]

Granted it's not a game, but still, I bet you didn't whine this much when Windows XP came out, and had forced activation. Sure it won't stop the hackers, but the effort in applying cracks and such discourage many from doing it.

XP is a commercial application, not a game. The cases aren't parallel.

 

[Sheps]

XP is a commercial application, not a game. The cases aren't parallel.

Technically a game is a commercial application. It's a program that's running on a computer and someone is selling it - commercial application.

Look, the fact of the matter is that you have to have a net connection to play the game. Harsh as it may seem, it's just TS if you don't like it. If you don't like it that much, show your protest by not buying the game.

 

[SunHawk]

Technically a game is a commercial application. It's a program that's running on a computer and someone is selling it - commercial application.

Commercial application=Windows, Nortons,NT Server, XP, Lunix, Red Hat, Fedora.Core!Draw. Application: having industrial or specific work or network related function.

Game=recreational, non essential to industry or industry related system and/or network.

If you don't like it that much, show your protest by not buying the game.

Exactly.

 

[colson]

Or an idiot.

Why are you always cutting people down? I have the internet but I stiil think its bunk. Don't be such an asshole.

 

[Sheps]

Commercial application=Windows, Nortons,NT Server, XP, Lunix, Red Hat, Fedora.Core!Draw. Application: having industrial or specific work or network related function.

Game=recreational, non essential to industry or industry related system and/or network.



Exactly.

I'd call a game pretty essential to the games industry... but it's clear that there's no way I'm going to convince you contrary to your extremely hardened opinion. It's your loss.

 

[Llama]

I'd call a game pretty essential to the games industry... but it's clear that there's no way I'm going to convince you contrary to your extremely hardened opinion. It's your loss.

:cheers: i second that

 

[justmatt]

Wow. Some pretty insensitive replies here. Did it ever occur to some of you that we're not all high school kids living in our parents' houses? For instance, I am at work right now and tend to use Internet during down-times at work or at the library where I live. I use a cell-phone and have no land-line at my apartment (and no need for one). I used to have Internet before, but I just moved into my new apartment and moving expenses have left my bank accounts pretty dry and it costs 80-90 bucks to get a cable internet package where I live now (you can't just get internet, you have to get tv too). So before you go flipping out and saying "OMFG JUST GET A AOL CD DOOD WTF", perhaps fire a few neurons and think about how different people are in different situations. I just re-ordered HL2 and now I dunno what I'm gonna do. I wasn't planning on getting Internet again for another few months while I get settled in my new place. So it looks like my choices are:

1) Let an unplayable copy of HL2 sit in my apartment till I get Internet

2) Get Internet and be broke for a few months.

I really hope this is just a misunderstanding and you won't need Internet to play. I agree that most people do have Internet, but it's pretty presumptuous of Valve to just assume everyone has it at home. I mean it's not like this is a multiplayer-only game.

 

[jaguar_987]

Wow. Some pretty insensitive replies here. Did it ever occur to some of you that we're not all high school kids living in our parents' houses? For instance, I am at work right now and tend to use Internet during down-times at work or at the library where I live. I use a cell-phone and have no land-line at my apartment (and no need for one). I used to have Internet before, but I just moved into my new apartment and moving expenses have left my bank accounts pretty dry and it costs 80-90 bucks to get a cable internet package where I live now (you can't just get internet, you have to get tv too). So before you go flipping out and saying "OMFG JUST GET A AOL CD DOOD WTF", perhaps fire a few neurons and think about how different people are in different situations. I just re-ordered HL2 and now I dunno what I'm gonna do. I wasn't planning on getting Internet again for another few months while I get settled in my new place. So it looks like my choices are:

1) Let an unplayable copy of HL2 sit in my apartment till I get Internet

2) Get Internet and be broke for a few months.

I really hope this is just a misunderstanding and you won't need Internet to play. I agree that most people do have Internet, but it's pretty presumptuous of Valve to just assume everyone has it at home. I mean it's not like this is a multiplayer-only game.

Agreed

 

[DiSTuRbEd]

You can't please everyone, but VALVe has pleased about 98 or 99% of all people, not that many people that know about HL2, don't have internet at home.

 

[Llama]

You can't please everyone, but VALVe has pleased about 98 or 99% of all people, not that many people that know about HL2, don't have internet at home.

indeed

 

[DEATH eVADER]

The way I see it, not many people have immediate internet connection (through there own computer) and have to connect through say a college or school computer to the internet. And the fact that many people won't be able to install the components onto these computers infuriates me more.

So the question is, is there a unique code that they ship with the game, in which at you hand over the details to valve or vu games, where then they give you the proper code to access the game.

Windows XP had this function, which works fine for people with the internet, but they also had over the telephone authentication as well, which was brilliant for me.

 

[ZoFreX]

@Justmatt - plug the cell phone into your computer, bam modem!
ATIwhatever - 0845 123 1675, u/n:FREE, pwd:FREE
And if you format your computer you won't enter your cd key again - just type in your steam u/n and password, once you've activated hl2 the cd key is not needed, the game gets tied to your steam account, so you won't have any "this cd key is in use" stuff.

Oh, and whoever made the point about dvd drives, I bought a high-quality sony dvd drive for £10 just so I could get the dvd version of pc gamer - I think it's safe to say that a computer without a dvd drive couldn't play half-life 2 very well anyway.

 

[mega maniac]

Now im just taking a wild guess here that you have a phone line in your house :|

But y'know they have these now

Enjoy Half life 2 :cheers:

 

[othello]

You can just log into your account on another computer and verify the cd key

no you cant... otherwise, it wouldnt matter if he was connected to the internet or not. when he sticks the CD in, how in the world would his comp know if the key had been authorized or not? it couldn't possibly know unless it was connected to the internet. the comp you install HL2 on, has to be connected to the internet. which is completely retarded because there are plenty of people planning on purchasing HL2 in a week who just moved, cant afford the internet, have financial situations, don't rely on mommy for everything, etc...

I think it's safe to say that a computer without a dvd drive couldn't play half-life 2 very well anyway.

HL2 isn't coming in DVD format... is it?

 

[thre3dee]

no you cant... otherwise, it wouldnt matter if he was connected to the internet or not. when he sticks the CD in, how in the world would his comp know if the key had been authorized or not? it couldn't possibly know unless it was connected to the internet. the comp you install HL2 on, has to be connected to the internet. which is completely retarded because there are plenty of people planning on purchasing HL2 in a week who just moved, cant afford the internet, have financial situations, don't rely on mommy for everything, etc...



HL2 isn't coming in DVD format... is it?

Yes. Gold edition comes on DVD. Standard on 6 CDs.

 

[chriso20]

thread starter: Quit your whining, you can play if you get a telephone lead.

I on the other hand have to get $10 from somewhere (im in UK) send HL1 to valve in seattle, (dont know how the know i've bought HL2) and i think because it'l take so long i'l buy HL2 in store aswel.

FOR FORKS SAKE!!!!

 

[othello]

Yes. Gold edition comes on DVD. Standard on 6 CDs.

no offense, but are you sure? i've read otherwise on various forums. anyone gotta link?

 

[-JeZ-]

Some people are used to making others jump through hoops day in day out and WILL NOT be told that the HAVE to do something. The like their authority and will not be told what to do. No compromises. Their stonewalled arogance shines from them like the sun through the window on a winter morning. Quite apt that SunHawk would seem to be one of these people, considering his choice of username on this forum (and that he professes to work in management and hence would be used to getting people to jump through those hoops, as it were).

I don't understand why you seem to class games as "recreational, non essential" software, and that this software doesn't deserve, in your opinion, to be protected from unautorised replication. Steam is the first application which acts as a barrier (one that will inevitably be breached by the hackers) against theft. As other companies adopt similar protection policies the games industry will gradualy fight back the seething tide of unauthorised ownership of thier intellectual property and we'll see better quality products becuase of it.

If your problem is the protection of your personal workspace and personal information then I can understand your worries about the security of Steam. There were rumours that it contained spyware when it BETA. The latest build has been scanned by every anti spyware/adware program/company in the business and to my knowledge it is free of any nefarious code.

If your porblem is simply with the fact that you have to install a VISIBLE secondary component then you should check some of the other software/games you use/play. A lot of them use intermidiary code to connect them to the internet when in use and some of them have secondary processes running which do so silently.

Anyway, that's my rant over with. If you'd like to respond SunHawk please do but remeber that the purpose of this post wasn't to flame or otherwise attack you (apart from the first paragraph ). I just don't understand why you have a problem with it. What your spesific reason is (apart from what you put in your first post).

 

[jacen]

Steam is the first application which acts as a barrier (one that will inevitably be breached by the hackers) against theft.

once again:

steam is not the first barrier.
the first barrier were the cd checks
the 2nd barrier was cdkeys
the 3rd barrier were cdcopy protections

steam is somewhat the 4th barrier.
steam will not prevent warezing
steam will only prevent prerelease laking/selling of the game.
nothing more
nothing less

 

[garblemonster]

and they will still sell bootlegs in Turkey for $2 each

 

[[LP]Goin Postal]

couldnt you authenticate it at a buddies place ...and then back up the blob file or whatever onto a disk and then take it home and install it from there...the info in there will have all the authentication stuff I thought.

I could be totally wrong but just a thought.

 

[Llama]

and they will still sell bootlegs in Turkey for $2 each

yay! Came you get me some

 

[SunHawk]

Some people are used to making others jump through hoops day in day out and WILL NOT be told that the HAVE to do something.

I'll give you a good example of why.

"Illegal error.This program has encountered an illegal error and will now close"

"STEAM.exe has caused a page fault at 0001CD:bf0001f"

It crashes.

See that??Thats what you can get with STEAM.

STEAM won't work on your system or is bugged.

You can't play HL2 OFFLINE IN SINGLE PLAYER unless you validate with STEAM first.

No telephone registration.

You just paid $xxx for HL2 and have the disk in your hand.

It is now unplayable.You just paid for a game you cant use.And the store wont give you a refund.

That is ONE scenario I can bring to mind in a few seconds.I can think of dozens of others...all with issues that need to be addressed or that may not have been considered.

Please, set my mind at ease and confirm to me that STEAM will ALWAYS work and that it will ALWAYS ensure 100% that ALL verifications will work.

I also refer back to a post made by a super moderator who told me distinctly that HL2 did NOT require online verification to play in single player.

I am still waiting to be told when and where the decision was made to change that setup.

The like their authority and will not be told what to do. No compromises.

When it comes to consumer protection for good I purchase that may or may not be of a merchantable quality(Trade Practices Act) I don't equivocate, no. Can you blame me?

Their stonewalled arogance shines from them like the sun through the window on a winter morning.

Having dealt with shoddy goods, faulty merchandise, bad service, lack of support in the past, it isnt arrogance, its my money we are discussing and any and all issues that may prevent me from using what I have purchased.

I'll make this compromise..and this is reasonable. Make telephone registration an alternative and I'll stop arguing.

Quite apt that SunHawk would seem to be one of these people, considering his choice of username on this forum (and that he professes to work in management and hence would be used to getting people to jump through those hoops, as it were).

Actually I train my people to be innovative, intelligent, decision makers,risk takers, I won't work with anyone who can't and won't think for themselves and find solutions to problems.

I encourage staff to argue with me, if they think they are right. I don't abide "yes men" and can't stand fence sitters.And of those arguments, the staff win more than 50% of them.

I trust their judgement.

I don't understand why you seem to class games as "recreational, non essential" software, and that this software doesn't deserve, in your opinion, to be protected from unauthorised replication.

Sorry , where did I say that?I said I was against mandatory online registration using STEAM client to play offline in single player.

I am 100% for ANY measure that stops piracy.

Steam is the first application which acts as a barrier (one that will inevitably be breached by the hackers) against theft.

As other companies adopt similar protection policies the games industry will gradualy fight back the seething tide of unauthorised ownership of thier intellectual property and we'll see better quality products becuase of it.

If your problem is the protection of your personal workspace and personal information then I can understand your worries about the security of Steam. There were rumours that it contained spyware when it BETA. The latest build has been scanned by every anti spyware/adware program/company in the business and to my knowledge it is free of any nefarious code.

If your porblem is simply with the fact that you have to install a VISIBLE secondary component then you should check some of the other software/games you use/play. A lot of them use intermidiary code to connect them to the internet when in use and some of them have secondary processes running which do so silently.

Anyway, that's my rant over with. If you'd like to respond SunHawk please do but remeber that the purpose of this post wasn't to flame or otherwise attack you (apart from the first paragraph ). I just don't understand why you have a problem with it. What your spesific reason is (apart from what you put in your first post).
__________________

 

[tommy1987]

thats just like saying, thanx a lot valve, i didnt realise I gotta buy a computer to actually play this game, i thought it plugged straight into my TV. Is this guy in the real world?

 

[im2emo2shower]

lol...

 

[B.Calhoun]

lol...

Your name makes me laugh. Theres a few goth kids at my school and they smell like dirt (literally, dirt.). Not cool to be dirty.

 

[Darkknighttt]

Do you actually have HL2 the game ?

WTF?!?!?!?!?!

 

[Operator]

Im quite sure that people who cannot validate at their place of residence will find a way to get the game to work, like its been said countless times before, where theres a will theres a way.

 

[Revenge]

Sunhawk:

933 984 people have already confirmed that they not only have internet connections, but also can use steam effectively enough to fill out a survey form.

On average, 1 845 271 people per month successfully connect to steam and play atleast one game. If these 1 845 271 people each bought Half-Life 2 over Steam, then VALVe would get $30 from each customer, or US$55 358 130 in total. If you bought your copy of the game from a retail store, VALVe would earn $7 from the sale. Your contribution would represent 00.00000013% of what VALVe has already earnt from all those steam users. Even if you told a hundred people and by some divine stroke of stupidity they all actually listened to you and went "Oh hey, you are totally right man. It doesn't matter how good the book is, because I don't like the cover!", that would still only represnent 00.000013%, or US$700

Bearing in mind that the head of Valve just offered to fritter away $200 for a screenshot of a game his own company made, I really doubt you or your one hundred super close buddies that will do anything you tell them to will really make all that much difference.

In short: You are just as expendable as the rest of us, get over it.

 

[Llama]

Sunhawk:

933 984 people have already confirmed that they not only have internet connections, but also can use steam effectively enough to fill out a survey form.

On average, 1 845 271 people per month successfully connect to steam and play atleast one game. If these 1 845 271 people each bought Half-Life 2 over Steam, then VALVe would get $30 from each customer, or US$55 358 130 in total. If you bought your copy of the game from a retail store, VALVe would earn $7 from the sale. Your contribution would represent 00.00000013% of what VALVe has already earnt from all those steam users. Even if you told a hundred people and by some divine stroke of stupidity they all actually listened to you and went "Oh hey, you are totally right man. It doesn't matter how good the book is, because I don't like the cover!", that would still only represnent 00.000013%, or US$700

Bearing in mind that the head of Valve just offered to fritter away $200 for a screenshot of a game his own company made, I really doubt you or your one hundred super close buddies that will do anything you tell them to will really make all that much difference.

In short: You are just as expendable as the rest of us, get over it.

Valve are hoping to make 700 MILLION dollars in 3 years through steam. Thats a shitload coca-cola :cheers:

 

[SunHawk]

In short: You are just as expendable as the rest of us, get over it.

And right there , in that one sentence, is the biggest attitude problem summary any games company has yet to try and overcome.

If they ever do.

 

[zyprezz]

well i live in denmark. And the smallest intrenet conection costs 50-70$ (per month + 25% tax) 512/128 then there is the installtion free 25$ and 1-2 monts of wating time to activate the i-net conection how you like that for a starter

but im not complaning got my inet connection but i guess that there are gonna be a lot of mad ppl in dk :sniper: :dev:

 

[blinking halo]

I am not sure I am happy with this. I have no intention of installing STEAM at any time, as I have no wish to play online, ever.

Installing any other game needs a cd key, fine..but to install STEAM and then go through the rigmarole of registering it via another application I have been given no choice about just so I can play it OFFLINE seems a little silly to me.

If I go and buy it from a shop (and for those who have doubts, my games budget last year was more than $500,...not all at once mint you ....not including game trades, second hand purchases etc) why can't I just register it the same way as others...why do I HAVE to register the game ONLINE so I can play the game I ALREADY legally bought?

I am not playing online, let me repeat.I will be holding a receipt in my hand..I see no reason to then go through more time and effort to be PERMITTED to play a game I bought. What if STEAM is down? Or it screws up and won't let the game be verified?

Before anyone gives me a smart comment, you're talking to a 40+ year old gamer and I am no one's fool...so I am expecting a civil response.

Bear in mind there is no other game I have purchased in the last three years that says if I dont go online and get it verified I can't play it.

I am given a CHOICE whether or not I wish to register it...it is not MANDATORY.

I am the consumer.I make the choices. If I have a game in one hand and a receipt in another I see no reason to be told "prove to us you bought it or you cant play it".

Valve had a great reason for forcing online authentication, namely: SOFTWARE PIRACY. Remember when doom 3 was released? the internet was practically collapsing due to all the p2p networks flooded with doom 3 transfers. steam prevents that, and ensures that pirates wont be able to crack for it for some time. You may be the consumer, but valve is the developer, and THEY decide how things will work. Valve has listened to fans for 5 years, and the least we can do is support them by making pirates work more difficult and embracing steam.

 

[maxmum]

Sunhawk, a completely sensible and legitimate argument, and I agree wholeheartedly with you.

 

[DEATH eVADER]

Valve had a great reason for forcing online authentication, namely: SOFTWARE PIRACY. Remember when doom 3 was released? the internet was practically collapsing due to all the p2p networks flooded with doom 3 transfers. steam prevents that, and ensures that pirates wont be able to crack for it for some time. You may be the consumer, but valve is the developer, and THEY decide how things will work. Valve has listened to fans for 5 years, and the least we can do is support them by making pirates work more difficult and embracing steam.

So tell me why the rest of the games industry, as well as the movie and music business are slow to react to such BS

 

[Miker75]

You wouldn't even have to move it really. Just go to a friends house or someone who has a decent PC, install the game, register the game, go back home, log on to your Steam account with HL2 on it, and then start playing offline

Sorry if this has been posted before... but this won't work.

Sure you could go to an internet cafe and sign onto steam and enter your CD key, but this still won't unlock HL2. It will allow you to download it, and still be connected to the net to unlock it.

If he then went home and put in the same CD key, he would still have to connect to the internet to unlock HL2.