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PMan
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Does this mean that HL2 can ship early to stores and infact be sold early but won't be able to be played untill activation is turned on?
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PMan
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But surely a store selling the game doesn't matter, if it needs to be activated online before playing? As long as that activation isn't working a boxed copy is still not going to work.
UmbrellaMaster
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I think Valve is fishing for reasons to release the game early over Steam. If you havent heard, Valve wants people to use Steam. 
What better reason to use it than to get games earlier and easier?
What better reason to use it than to get games earlier and easier?In order for Valve's statement to be true, the Steam servers must be set to validate retail copies no matter when they're purchased. Which would make sense, since it's not the consumer's fault that a store broke street date.
I'm hoping that BestBuy breaks it. They have tons of money, they could afford the fine easily, and get an advantage on everyone else.
I'm hoping that BestBuy breaks it. They have tons of money, they could afford the fine easily, and get an advantage on everyone else.
Goombatommy
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Gotter said:In order for Valve's statement to be true, the Steam servers must be set to validate retail copies no matter when they're purchased. Which would make sense, since it's not the consumer's fault that a store broke street date.
I'm hoping that BestBuy breaks it. They have tons of money, they could afford the fine easily, and get an advantage on everyone else.
Well, yea they'll be getting fined up the arse. But I also read somewhere, that constant abuse on breaking street date according to the contract between Best Buy and the Publisher, could also result in the publisher not allowing best buy to sell it's products if abused enough. I heard that somewhere, I don't know if it is true or not.
rumblefish
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why dint valve just get a copy off the production line and install it at one of their home pc's, then it would count, rite?? so wed get it then, ie, they could do that now (if they were being produced now)
rf
rf
jimbones
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UmbrellaMaster said:I think Valve is fishing for reasons to release the game early over Steam. If you havent heard, Valve wants people to use Steam.
Could be, but how should VALVe allow retail users to register their game and deny steam users access to the preloaded data at the same time?
Mountain Man
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Has Valve actually said this, or is it just a rumor?UKchaos2 said:
YamatoTwinkie
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rumblefish said:
This would probably be in violation with their contract with Vivendi Universal, because in your case, Vivendi didn't actually sell the game.
Mountain Man
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Shacknews.com suggested this, but I've not seen an official or even an unofficial statement from Valve. Do you have a link?otomo said:
BlackMesaDude
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BUt if game will not get out before release date which i doubt then steam users will not play early.
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Iconoclast
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Someone post a SOURCE for these "Valve have said" statements. People rabbit it on and on and on and I've yet to see one shred of evidence that it is, in fact, true.
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TyroPyro
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Goombatommy said:
(I work at Best Buy)
This has never happened to our store, and I've never heard of it actually happening at another store, but it's possible:
If a Best Buy sells something early, they can get fined by the publisher, the publisher may quit shipping them releases before the street date, or the publisher may pull all of their products from that store (probably after repeated problems). The store is screwed if this happens (imagine if a huge publisher like Vivendi, Warner Brothers, or Fox pulled ALL their products from a Best Buy).
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jakoblindberg
Guest
From the official FAQ at the Steam website:
"When will I be able to play my games?
º Counter-Strike: Source is available now!
º Half-Life 2 will be unlocked, the moment it is "released" - which means the minute it is available on store shelves.
º Day of Defeat: Source and Half-Life 1: Source release dates are to be announced."
I believe the second bullet actually means that once it hits any store shelve - it is unlocked. We'll see...
/ Kobbe
"When will I be able to play my games?
º Counter-Strike: Source is available now!
º Half-Life 2 will be unlocked, the moment it is "released" - which means the minute it is available on store shelves.
º Day of Defeat: Source and Half-Life 1: Source release dates are to be announced."
I believe the second bullet actually means that once it hits any store shelve - it is unlocked. We'll see...
/ Kobbe
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Toy
Guest
^ like hell thats what it means!
if thats the "official" statement from valve then thats no proof whatso ever
if thats the "official" statement from valve then thats no proof whatso ever
Grand Architect
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I can see valve unlocking HL² before the 16th if it hits the shelves early, as valve dose not want to lose steam sales due to a early retail release. I was able to get The Sims 2 three days before the slated release date from EB games but that was EA not VUG so we'll see.
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Stage
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http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/34091
http://www.shacknews.com/ja.zz?id=8795723
That's about the best you can get.
I would think that every copy would have to register/whatever on Steam, and when that happends, Steam automaticly unlocks the game for everyone else too.
http://www.shacknews.com/ja.zz?id=8795723
That's about the best you can get.
I would think that every copy would have to register/whatever on Steam, and when that happends, Steam automaticly unlocks the game for everyone else too.
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jakoblindberg
Guest
So the official message is a bit fuzzy (who would expect anything else...). BUT, it makes an awful lot of sense to unlock the game immediately when any store in the world starts to sell it (and Valve knows that some stores will sell it early - as always).
(speculation)
1) Valve does not want to mistreat Steam subscribers (said before)
2) Steam will run red hot the first days of release - if I was Valve I would make sure my entire team of software engineers sat with every possible tool in their laps - AND I would unlock the servers for a smaller group of people at least 24 hours before the official release to test the servers and tweak the code if necessary (makes an awful lot of sense). They have created the argument for an early unlock already in the FAQ wording (I and guess they have the same in the contract with Vivendi)
Pure speculation through...
/ Kobbe
(speculation)
1) Valve does not want to mistreat Steam subscribers (said before)
2) Steam will run red hot the first days of release - if I was Valve I would make sure my entire team of software engineers sat with every possible tool in their laps - AND I would unlock the servers for a smaller group of people at least 24 hours before the official release to test the servers and tweak the code if necessary (makes an awful lot of sense). They have created the argument for an early unlock already in the FAQ wording (I and guess they have the same in the contract with Vivendi)
Pure speculation through...
/ Kobbe
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jakoblindberg
Guest
Thanks Stage - Had not seen the Steve message before. Makes even more sense now.
/ Kobbe
/ Kobbe
PlasmaBurnz
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If it's true that all copies will be unlocked as soon as someone activates a retail copy then we we definitely be getting it early.
Over in the UK I've order about 10 new releases from gameplay.co.uk and ALL of them have came the day before release (due to them sending it out two days before release to catch the 2nd class mail thing).
We will be playing on the 15th if thats the case.
Over in the UK I've order about 10 new releases from gameplay.co.uk and ALL of them have came the day before release (due to them sending it out two days before release to catch the 2nd class mail thing).
We will be playing on the 15th if thats the case.
BlackMesaDude
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Then lets hope a store decides to sell a little early then.
