How is this so complicated?

[Syko]

1. You can go to whatever retailer you want and buy Half-Life 2 in one of three varieties:
- Single-player game ONLY (cheaper)
- Single-player game + Multiplayer game (probably normal price)
- Collector's edition (Single-player + Multiplayer, but also with added goodies, for example t-shirts, HL2 keychains, etc. Note that I am NOT saying that these things will be included (probably $10-$20 more than normal price)

Somewhere in the above mix will be a DVD version and a CD version, so if you don't like the idea of swapping a billion CDs to install, and you happen to be lucky enough to have a DVD drive, grab the DVD version

2. You can buy any of the above mentioned packages on Steam, except probably the Collector's edition one, because how would they get you your stuff (and don't say "mail it" -- because that defeats the purpose of Steam, which is to avoid going through the publisher so Valve gets your money instead of half of it going to Sierra or Vivendi or whoever...).

3. You can buy a subscription on Steam. I'm thinking of this subscription as something like a magazine subscription + MMORPG subscription combined. With MMORPGs like EverQuest and Star Wars: Galaxies, you pay like $15/month and you get to play the game. AND you have to buy it in the store for $50. Yay. How much new content is there? Not much, mostly just bug fixes (at least with Galaxies, I haven't had any experience with EQ).

With this Steam subscription, you get HL2 singleplayer and multiplayer, plus any new products that come out on steam, like TF2. And it's only $10/month. The MMORPG players out there probably don't think this is all THAT bad, but the others are probably like "wtf!! pay for a game i bought!?!" The nice thing about this subscription is that you aren't paying $50 for the game and then $10 monthly. You just pay the $10 monthly. If they release any new pay-to-use content in the next 5 months (which they probably will), the people who bought it in the store for $50 will have to buy it, and those who have the $10/month subscription will automatically get it. So the store guys will pay like $50 + $20 (for example) for the New Content, and the subscribers won't have even payed their $50 yet. Sound better now?

Hope this clears some of it up...

-Syko

 

[Feath]

I made this a little earlier and don't want it to go to waste, so I'll post it here to back up your thing.

Buy in Store

Single Player Only
Contains only the single player of Half Life 2. Doesn't run multiplayer and mods won't work with it. This is intended for poeple who don't want to play multiplayer or don't have a net connexion. They do exist, you know.

Single Player + Multiplayer (runs mods)
Contains both the single player and Multiplayer. This is just exactly the same as you usually get. It's the Tradional version.

Collectors Edition (Cool Bonus Stuff)
Same as above but with some cool bonus stuff. This could be anything, really. Physical things (like a Making of Half Life 2 DVD) or extra stuff for the game.

Buy on Steam

Single Player + Multiplayer
Same as shop bought but you download it instead of having in on CD. There is a one off payment.

Subscription ($9.95 a month)
You pay a set price a month and get access to Half Life 2 (single player and multiplayer). The advantage is that you also get access to any expansion packs and even some other games, with no extra cost increase. This could work out cheaper than buying these all seperately.

 

[Inflatablewoman]

Originally posted by Syko
stuff

perfect sense, good post! They will have to promise me a couple of things before I decide to go for the subscription.

 

[AH_Viper]

Gawd DAMIT, the prospect of friggen pay for play is SOOO annoying. WHY GOD WHY!!! I HATE THE THOUGHT!

Anyhoo, the subscription bit is rather naff, i mean, what if no new games come out for a year.... thats £120 effectivly that you payed just for HL2 get a life, i like the game but not that much. Also, what is you stop paying.... do i NOT get the game anymore???

DAMIT why dont they make games like they used too... a nice 2 disk install (floppy i mean). Ahhh those were the days... then doom 2 came out, grrrrrr, dam 4 disk install.

 

[DjBourgeoisie]

If the dvd version is out right away I will def be getting that, I am suprised more companies dont already do this.

 

[dawdler]

Originally posted by AH_Viper
Gawd DAMIT, the prospect of friggen pay for play is SOOO annoying. WHY GOD WHY!!! I HATE THE THOUGHT!

Then dont buy that way, or is that to hard?

 

[Democritus]

Here's my question: if I wait for the expansion packs/TF2 to come out and THEN by the subscription for $9.95 a month, will that mean I can spend a month or two playing all these games (HL2, TF2, Expansions), cancel my subscription, and basically have played two or three games for $10-$20?

While we on the forums couldn't wait that long, seems like Valve would lose money down the road from the slow pokes/less interested.

 

[AH_Viper]

Why yes it is

Na, sorry for moaing, ive been away for a bit and i hadnt read the countless topics that are around about this stuff. Its just that i came accross this one first i think before i got to the email one from gabe.

One more reason why stuff should be kept together

 

[BritSavant]

Originally posted by AH_Viper
Gawd DAMIT, the prospect of friggen pay for play is SOOO annoying. WHY GOD WHY!!! I HATE THE THOUGHT!

Anyhoo, the subscription bit is rather naff, i mean, what if no new games come out for a year.... thats £120 effectivly that you payed just for HL2 get a life, i like the game but not that much. Also, what is you stop paying.... do i NOT get the game anymore???

DAMIT why dont they make games like they used too... a nice 2 disk install (floppy i mean). Ahhh those were the days... then doom 2 came out, grrrrrr, dam 4 disk install.

Essentially, the majority of games are pay to play, it's just that people seem to bitch about it more when it's a monthly fee/yearly fee because they think they're being righteous. I suppose that after a point, you will have payed off your balance for HL2, so it's not worth worrying about yet.

Besides, when there's other methods of paying for the game, why complain?

Oh. And Hi...I'm new...

 

[AH_Viper]

Originally posted by Democritus
Here's my question: if I wait for the expansion packs/TF2 to come out and THEN by the subscription for $9.95 a month, will that mean I can spend a month or two playing all these games (HL2, TF2, Expansions), cancel my subscription, and basically have played two or three games for $10-$20?

Hehe, or will they make you pay for a full year and not release any updates whats so ever and make you pay $120 for a game

EDIT:: P.S. These forums are soooo active this time of day, nice to see a good conmunity with a nice bunch of folks

 

[MoJo|Night]

There's been a lot of people who have said they'd have spent hundreds n a subscription since hl1 and I can see that but there's also the flipside of people who spent £40 on hl1 and played it for a couple of weeks and never went back. I know it really doesn't apply to many of us on these boards but it applies to thousands and/or millions of people around the world who don't take these things quite as seriously as we do.

And yes it is good to see an active board with lively discussion although we now have 4 threads on this topic and my head hurts.

 

[Pol]

If the dvd version is out right away I will def be getting that, I am suprised more companies dont already do this.

many many gamers do not have dvd drives

 

[AH_Viper]

Originally posted by Pol
many many gamers do not have dvd drives

None the less, a step forward in the right direction me thinks. There was a time when NO ONE had a CDROM

 

[W7RE]

I want a box. I want a manual. I want a CD/DVD so I can install the game whenever I want, even if I don't have internet access at the time. I want the collector's edition, and all of the goodies that come with it.

BUT... if I go that route, I have to pay seperately for any extra content added to HL2 (map packs, small mods like Ricochet and Deathmatch Classic, etc)



And I DON'T want to be forced into using Steam every time I want to play multiplayer. I frequent LANs that don't have internet access.

 

[Shirow-DG]

Anyone who doesn't have a DVD drive should buy one, they're $20-30 ffs

 

[Slash]

$10 a month is a rental charge... is that so bad? You never have to buy the game in the first place, you are always "renting" it. And $10 a month is a GREAT price for that. A lot of people will just play the single player game and be satisfied. So they pay $10 to get (hopefully) the greatest single player gaming experience ever. Sounds good to me. Personally I expect myself to play HL2 or one of its mods until HL3 is released, so I'll probably buy the full version.

 

[Slash]

Originally posted by W7RE
And I DON'T want to be forced into using Steam every time I want to play multiplayer. I frequent LANs that don't have internet access.

Steam is what HL2 is running off, regardless of what version you buy. So if you play multiplayer you will have to deal with Steam. How they do that is unknown at the time. They might allow LANs without internet.. but then that leaves a possibly securtiy flaw so I dunno :/ Hopefully they figure out a good solution. :cheers:

 

[Nuclear_Gerber]

For all the people asking what will they get with the special edition, what expension packs will they recieve for the monthly payment, etc'-
I am convinced that the minute HL2 is releaed, you will know all there is to know. There is no need talking about if its good or not, since VALVe release very little information and you pretty much don't know anything about the questions I mentioned. Or the multiplayer.
I see no need in speculations, it will all be cleared out in a month.

 

[Demonmerc]

OK, here's my take on the $$$:

- Single Player - probably around $40.
- SP + MP + mods - around $50-55
- collector's edition - $$$

Steam SP + MP - most likely $40-50 (I say 40)
Steam subscription - $10 (I hope D

First off, what is coming out on steam in the next year? HL2, then TF2, then CS2 (IMO). After that it will most likely be awhile until anything else is released (unless mods are able to be sold this way, in which case start saving.) So you will probably have to shell out $120 for HL2, CS2, TF2. That's a subscription for a year on steam.

What if you don't want to spend any more money? If you are subscribing, you can't play HL2,TF2, and CS2 anymore.

Even though Gabe says its the "best value", ending the subscription basically deletes the games off your HD. Is this really a good deal? IMO, only if they can relase more than the 3 games in the upcoming year, and continually add content afterwards.

 

[Syko]

It'd be nice if you could pay a final one-time fee to be able to keep the game on your HD

-Syko

 

[Pol]

Anyone who doesn't have a DVD drive should buy one, they're $20-30 ffs

there really is no reason to have a dvd drive on my pc at the moment, hl2 is the first game that i've seen to supposedly have a dvd version, so until now there is no need, i have a dvd player on my widescreen tv, so im sorted for films, however a dvd release is a step in the right direction, but keep the cd's for now, nobody wants to be forced into buying a dvd drive.

 

[Kamakiri]

Explained it very well

 

[Anwar]

the only difference is they are giving people OPTIONS and people here are going nuts for no reason

 

[Piddy]

Is it so complicated? Compared to the purchasing of most games - the answer is yes.

Choice is good but if it's causes confusion amongst people here who understand the different HL components better than the general public, will your average Joe really know which version to get? I think there is a chance that people might buy a product that isn't right for their needs.

Personally I can't imagine too many people wanting the single player only version and I am never going to pay per play. If I had wanted that I would have stuck to playing games in a pinball parlour.

Still, none of this seems set in concrete yet.