HL2 distribution?

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hyenolie

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ok first of all i hated steam since day 1,

but it seems all the games are on steam. dod cs cz tfc etc.

so im confused, even when i regretably bought cz, i installed and it did its setam thing again.

so is hl2 goona be a regular .exe or what? what happened to the good old days with the exe on the desktop.
 
hl2 will run through steam, just like the rest of the games on steam at the moment, you can also create a shortcut to the individual games on your desktop if you really want to, i believe you just right click and choose "create shortcut on desktop" or something similar.....
 
When Steam first came out, people were complaining to no end about it, so I decided to avoid it. The whining never really stopped, so I never bothered downloading Steam.

A couple of days ago I decided to activate my ATI voucher so I downloaded Steam and installed the Premier Pack, and I gotta say, what is all the bitching about?!

Steam is absolutely awesome, I think it's a great idea that is brilliantly excecuted.

So what I'm trying to say is, quit your bitching, suck it up and install Steam.
 
If you don't like Steam now, it will get better. In fact, it's a helluva lot better than it was at release...
 
I have had Steam since the first public beta... and loved it since day 1 :)
 
Will Half-Life 2 be playable without steam?
Click to expand...
If CZ isnt' neither will HL2. I haven't bought CZ so maybe someone who has can answer, but i'm guessing from hyenolie's response, yes you'll need steam.
 
I remember running my friend's copy of CZ in my disk drive, and I remember it saying somthing about play with steam/play without, but I can't remember perfectly...

I was also playing it off the cd.. So...
 
I sure hope it doesn't. I like the old fashion short cut in the start menu setup :(
 
Wait a second here people. Someone actually bought CZ?!
 
IIRC CZ singleplayer can be played w/o Steam. This won't be true for HL2 which is *the* Steam product. :)
 
WhiteBoy said:
What if someone doesn't have an internet connection?
Click to expand...

steam will be on the cd as part of the install, theres no need for an internet connection unless they're going to play online.
 
Xtasy00 said:
steam will be on the cd as part of the install, theres no need for an internet connection unless they're going to play online.
Click to expand...
You'll have to validate the game online once before you can play it. If you don't have the internet, you don't play. It's not like it's much to ask: just plug a modem into a phone line and use one of those no-registration dial-up ISPs for a few seconds.
 
Varsity said:
You'll have to validate the game online once before you can play it. If you don't have the internet, you don't play. It's not like it's much to ask: just plug a modem into a phone line and use one of those no-registration dial-up ISPs for a few seconds.
Click to expand...
Despite the ease of this, if internet validation is required (even it it's only once) i forsee a HUGE amount of complaining.

Fortunately the people without internet connections won't be complaining on forums........lol..........
 
Aren't they releasing a SP only game.....for people who don't have the internet?? That's what I thought.....surely they won't have to validate...there would be no point!
 
Valve physically can't do this, it's just not gonna help their sales figures and reputation. I don't think this will happen, considering Steam has offline play now.
 
Valve wouldn't possibly discriminate against people who are not on the net by releasing an internet only single player retail product, that would be a big can o' worms - not to mention marketing suicide.

Heard about URU from Cyanworlds earlier this year? hyped and advertised to be the biggest online multiplayer game ever - and it was canned 1 month after release because only a handful of people subscribed to a broadband only game. Discrimination is just not a good idea in this market - the audience is too varied.

I know Steam will ship with the game, but if you still have to pay to get connected to the web - even if it is only to validate - people just won't bother, believe me.

And then there's the data gathering (did I say spyware?) side of Steam. If it gathers data, it needs to be online continuously. Something again that won't happen as i'm sure a lot of people are like me and close any apps running in the backround, including web connection, when playing single player.

Fret not, hyenolie - Valve aren't that stupid. Multiplayer I can understand, but single player - What are they gonna say, pay for a web connection or **** off? hardly.
 
What if someone doesn't have an internet connection?
Click to expand...
I reckon that a net connection will soon become one of those requirements to run a modern game (like a new graphics card).

Back on topic, if you get Steam now u'll be able to dl HL2 through that as well, when they release. Oh and u'll be able to start dling it early (about 2 weeks probably b4 release date) so it will be ready on ur hard drive to be unlocked as soon as VALVe officially release the game.
 
You don't have to be continuously online to collect data. You collect it offline, cache it into a file, then upload it when you do connect.

If Steam is/isn't going to be needed to play HL2 offline is pretty much speculation at the moment, I don't think anyone has a definitive answer on that.

You can still have a HL2 shortcut in the start menu if you want it. You might have to make the Valve\Half-Life 2 folder in there yourself, but then you can create a desktop shortcut in Steam, then copy it in there.
 
Maybe you do not need connection but there is some kind of list of keys in steam that looks if your key is valid or not. It would and will not work if it is 'register-online-to-play-or-die' style. It would be just plain stupid...from VALVe.
 
you will be able to play single without steam.....just like you can play hl without steam....
it will be nice to get patches as soon as they come out without fighting fileplanet for the wait list.....
steam will allow you to get the patch faster......and you must have it to do the online thing........... ;)
 
CR0M said:
Heard about URU from Cyanworlds earlier this year? hyped and advertised to be the biggest online multiplayer game ever - and it was canned 1 month after release because only a handful of people subscribed to a broadband only game. Discrimination is just not a good idea in this market - the audience is too varied.
Click to expand...
But equally it might have something to do with the fact it was shit. :p

CR0M said:
And then there's the data gathering (did I say spyware?) side of Steam. If it gathers data, it needs to be online continuously. Something again that won't happen as i'm sure a lot of people are like me and close any apps running in the backround, including web connection, when playing single player.
Click to expand...
The gathering is a)opt-in and b) collected and sent in batches whenever you connect.
 
Steam is really good because it not only gives you a secure game, it automatically updates the game for you. So you don't need to run around the internet looking for a patch.
 
you will be able to play single without steam.....just like you can play hl without steam....
Click to expand...
I think you mean without being online. Steam is going to be a central part of HL2 - else why would VALVe have developed it!?

(u have heard of using just one fullstop to end a sentence, y'know? U look like ur just typing a stream of conciousness, which is a bit strange)
 
Varsity said:
But equally it might have something to do with the fact it was shit. :p
Click to expand...

Riiiight... so you didn't actually play it then, huh. :rolleyes:

oh yeah - FYI hyenolie, go read the Steam FAQ, it states that you WILL be able to play HL2 without a web connection.
 
iamaelephant said:
When Steam first came out, people were complaining to no end about it, so I decided to avoid it. The whining never really stopped, so I never bothered downloading Steam.

A couple of days ago I decided to activate my ATI voucher so I downloaded Steam and installed the Premier Pack, and I gotta say, what is all the bitching about?!

Steam is absolutely awesome, I think it's a great idea that is brilliantly excecuted.

So what I'm trying to say is, quit your bitching, suck it up and install Steam.
Click to expand...

Bump... yes, there's really no problem with steam... It's just the smacktards that use it.
 
Needing a broadband connection and needing an internet connection are 2 very different things. (In UK) anyone can get the internet from any house. I have yet to find 1 without a phone. Getting broadband in a completely different matter.
 
You don't need an internet connection for HL2 singeplayer, Steam has offline mode now right? And you don't need Steam in the first place I believe, you need it for online play though.

But if it does require online registration, don't blame Valve, blame the dumbasses who think it's their right to warez every game. It's a necessary evil. And just like modern games require a decent videocard and cpu, games in the future will require internet connections, you can't stop progression for the few cavemen without internet. It's not like you need broadband to register the game, so pretty much anyone will be able to register it.
 
Steam did suck in the beginning, a lack of bandwith and a lot of bugs made it a living hell for ppl who wanted to play their favorite games quick!
But now Steam has become almost bugless, and there iq quite enough bandwith availabel for now.....but still I doubt if there will be enough when HL2 come out on Steam :eek:
 
I HATE STEAM !!!!
F*CK STEAM!!! i can't play because some wise ass stole my cd key :(
 
iamaelephant said:
When Steam first came out, people were complaining to no end about it, so I decided to avoid it. The whining never really stopped, so I never bothered downloading Steam.

A couple of days ago I decided to activate my ATI voucher so I downloaded Steam and installed the Premier Pack, and I gotta say, what is all the bitching about?!

Steam is absolutely awesome, I think it's a great idea that is brilliantly excecuted.

So what I'm trying to say is, quit your bitching, suck it up and install Steam.
Click to expand...

Same here.
Well Said.
 
'Marketing suicide'? Huh? I suppose it was marketing suicide for Windows XP to require registration too? What kind of crackhead has a modern gaming computer without an internet connection?

Seriously, what is the issue with registering the damn game before you play it? To login to Steam the first time, you have to have an internet connection. It verifies your CD key. Then you can play offline. I don't see how that's going to be a problem for a significant number of customers.
 
Varsity said:
You'll have to validate the game online once before you can play it. If you don't have the internet, you don't play. It's not like it's much to ask: just plug a modem into a phone line and use one of those no-registration dial-up ISPs for a few seconds.
Click to expand...

i dunno...i dont recall having to validate CS:CZ online to play single player...
 
in all this commotion, what pple forget is the "registration card" that comes with software.. i remember when i bought Norton 2003 it had this card in the off chance i did not have an internet connection to register my copy.

i think Valve will do something similar to that.. especially since Gabe has stated u won't need a web connection to play HL2 SP.

so all the worrying thats going on about needing Steam and a web connection to register the product seems short sighted... there are may ways to go through registration besides doing it over the net. :p
 
Steam is pretty user friendly. It has a lot of good features. That said, I will most likely get a boxed copy of hl2. Maybe use steam for other add ons.
 
chimpmunk said:
I HATE STEAM !!!!
F*CK STEAM!!! i can't play because some wise ass stole my cd key
Click to expand...
You ass ... why don't you just ask for another one ... my friend had to do this today - try the Steam troubleshooter, it tells u what to do. Ass.
 
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