HL2 Online Activation / Restrictive Firewall -- help!

[Bloody_Eye]

Hi guys,

I've heard a lot of discussion about half-life 2's online activation, but do not know exactly how it will work. I was hoping someone could help me.

I am an engineer on a college campus. I have very fast internet, but every port but basic HTTP (that means steam's ports) are shut down because the building I live in has a restrictive firewall. I can't log in to steam.

I want to play half-life 2 ridiculously badly when it comes out. I can probably access at least some internet connection somewhere to register but I would not be able to actually install HL-2 there. Is there anything I can do to play? Note that I do not have a hard-wired phone line to do modem, because I use a cell phone.

Will there likely be a crack for the game out soon after it releases? Is there anything else I can do, and do I have to long in every single time I play or at least once on a machine or something?

Or am I just screwed? Please tell me there's hope. I've been waiting literally years for this to come out, and this would be absolutely devastating news :/

I appreciate it!

 

[KagePrototype]

Bug the IT department at your college, should work if you explain it to them.

 

[shapeshifter]

forward everything to port 80.

lol

 

[Bloody_Eye]

"Bug the IT department at your college, should work if you explain it to them."

That's a good suggestion. Unfortunately, I don't live on campus -- privately owned building right off campus. Last year I did something along those lines with a different game, and the IT guy who I sort of know opened the ports for about 2 days.

At which point the internet became flooded with Kazaa users and was unusable. So he had to take it back down almost instantly. I wish I could do this but unfortunately can't

 

[Bloody_Eye]

"forward everything to port 80.

lol"

can I do that with steam and if so how?

 

[Stormy]

Im in totaly the same bloody boat, i really dont know how im going to be able to install the damn game. If i cant play it im going to be so pissed off.

 

[jacen]

u only have to connect once
but u HAVE TO CONNECT

IF U CANT CONNECT TO STEAM U CANT PLAY HL2 !

i dont think this is hard to understand.

@ topic:
u might try http tunneling .. google after it, im to lazy to explain.

 

[Bloody_Eye]

"Im in totaly the same bloody boat, i really dont know how im going to be able to install the damn game. If i cant play it im going to be so pissed off."

Yeah, it's one thing when you don't have any internet and can't play, it's another thing when they didnt even bother to make another way to play than doing steam.

There are so many people on college campuses that won't be able to play HL2 at all -- surely it would be worth valve's time to make a way to register through port 80

 

[Sharrd]

For the installing, get someone to burn it out on a cd for you(which is perfectly legal), install it, and then activate somewhere.

 

[GWalker]

Take you machine to a mates or buy a modem.

 

[Nuada]

Get a data cable for your mobile and use it to register.

 

[Stormy]

Perhaps someone could email gabe or some one about it, i would but i really dont know what to say There has to be some way of doing it!

 

[The Dark Elf]

Hi guys,

I've heard a lot of discussion about half-life 2's online activation, but do not know exactly how it will work. I was hoping someone could help me.

I am an engineer on a college campus. I have very fast internet, but every port but basic HTTP (that means steam's ports) are shut down because the building I live in has a restrictive firewall. I can't log in to steam.

I want to play half-life 2 ridiculously badly when it comes out. I can probably access at least some internet connection somewhere to register but I would not be able to actually install HL-2 there. Is there anything I can do to play? Note that I do not have a hard-wired phone line to do modem, because I use a cell phone.

Will there likely be a crack for the game out soon after it releases? Is there anything else I can do, and do I have to long in every single time I play or at least once on a machine or something?

Or am I just screwed? Please tell me there's hope. I've been waiting literally years for this to come out, and this would be absolutely devastating news :/

I appreciate it!

If you can't get it to work atall, and the place isn't helpful, just plug your computer into a regular phone socket or something and do it that way.. only needs to be online for a few minutes or so to sort it out, providing you've got all the cache files another way other tahn dialup.

 

[Dedalus]

find out what ports steam needs, then take those details to your campus tech/admin and just explain the situation. chances are he's a huge nerd, and might do you a favour. you only need the ports open to authorise your key right? after you've done that you can go back behind the firewall? or you could try http tunnel, but you'll need help from your tech/admin there too.

good luck!

 

[Murray_H]

I be in the same boat, I may talk to the resident techies, but in all fairness HL2 will probably make me fail a lot of work

So I may just sit it out till Christmas ;(

 

[The Dark Elf]

I be in the same boat, I may talk to the resident techies, but in all fairness HL2 will probably make me fail a lot of work

So I may just sit it out till Christmas ;(

Well Steam is gonna be causing trouble like this for a lot of people. BUT, if you've already paid for it.. and legally allowed to play it, there are always other ways of playing it..

Some are gonna have no choice thanks to Steam, and if you've already got a legit copy you simply can't use because of Uni firewalls or lack of net on particular machines, its hardly your fault.

 

[Dedalus]

I be in the same boat, I may talk to the resident techies, but in all fairness HL2 will probably make me fail a lot of work

So I may just sit it out till Christmas ;(

you're a first year. it's impossible to fail your first year at uni

don't worry matey, i'm sure you can go home for the weekend and play it nonstop till monday

 

[Murray_H]

Well Steam is gonna be causing trouble like this for a lot of people. BUT, if you've already paid for it.. and legally allowed to play it, there are always other ways of playing it..

Some are gonna have no choice thanks to Steam, and if you've already got a legit copy you simply can't use because of Uni firewalls or lack of net on particular machines, its hardly your fault.

I was contemplating doing what you aren't suggesting at all (), wait a few days after release, see what files emerge and then going to buy it (although I was going the Steam route, I can't finish off the preloads ).

Bloody 2.5Mbit connection going to waste ;(

 

[Beazil]

Remeber activation is a one time thing: All you need to do is authenticate once through steam and then "offline" mode will be available. How you do that is the problem, but hooking up to a buddies comp via networking is always an option for you. Don't try hacks, for the simple fact that they would invalidate your agreement with Valve and could potentially screw you over in the future.

 

[Murray_H]

Offline mode isn't available for me anymore, Steam comes up with a little message saying that no information is stored on this computer, and offline mode won't be available until I connect to the Steam network again....which kinda defeats the purpose of the offline mode ;(

I can't even play HL

 

[dynamicx]

I don't think you are totaly screwed
You should be able to copy across the "clientreg.blob" file from another computer with internet access and steam. This will atleast allow you to log into steam in offline mode and probably hl2, but obvioulsy we don't know yet. If you can't do that you could always just use a modem, after all it's only a 1 time thing.

 

[The Dark Elf]

It's apparantly _not_ a one time only thing.. Munro quoted something in another post that gives the impression there's some time limit before you need to go online and auth again.. probably to make sure people keep upto date with the newest fixes and patches without waiting forever then clogging the system.

If that is the case, then you will need net access atleast every few weeks or something. Which really screws it for a lot of people for a lot of reasons.

 

[Stormy]

If what your saying is right its really bloody gay, this game is going to be so great and i have been waiting 18 months for it and then i find out i cant play it If i buy it and cant play it i will hack it it dont really want to but i have to play this damn game! Valve got my money i desurve to play it!

 

[Beazil]

It's apparantly _not_ a one time only thing.. Munro quoted something in another post that gives the impression there's some time limit before you need to go online and auth again.. probably to make sure people keep upto date with the newest fixes and patches without waiting forever then clogging the system.

If that is the case, then you will need net access atleast every few weeks or something. Which really screws it for a lot of people for a lot of reasons.

Wow. That really blows for people with internet woes. (no, that wasn't on purpose).