Online authentication, in favor of it or not?

[f|uke]

Well, like I said before, it's a case piracy versus those who don't have Internet access. IMO, I suspect piracy takes a much bigger toll on Valve.

Well, truly the sales lost to piracy are highly debatable. Still this might work in their favor. And yet ironicly, those without internet connections will be forced to pirate the game.

 

[marko33]

Yes im in favor of the authentication! I don't mind

 

[Grand Architect]

Windows XP has done the same thing for some time. It can be a pain in the ass if you have to reformat and have new hardware sence your last install. So I see no problem with HL² doing the same as long as they say plainly on the box "Internet Connect Required to Play".

 

[Bluestrike]

I just read an article in the PC Gameplay review issue, that every HL2 package requires an internet connection to do a one time online authentication. This will help anti-piracy hugely, so I'm in favor of it a hundred percent.

Sure, it's probably still possible to bypass it, but it will be too much of a hassle for the avarage gamer so he will buy it.

I wonder if it's still possible to do a non-Steam install.

I believe somewhere (interview or steam faq) was mentioned a steam email verification system, so people with no internet acces could go to a friend or local library and use a diskette and email.

But I doubt its more effective then current cd protections.

 

[Gray Fox]

Why? Internet access isn't something that you can buy with a computer. It's not like saying "Any new computer will have 512mb of RAM". It depends on where you are and your income. I'm a student but I can't afford net access in my flat at Edinburgh.

He :O , then how can you post so regulary here!!
Do you hang out the whole day in a cybercafe or on a friends computer with internet?

 

[Mr. Redundant]

I am absolutely 150% for it.
however anyone thinking that this will have any impact on Hl2 pirated at all.. are being niave.

(add a poll)

 

[Ari de Verci]

I am absolutely 150% for it.
however anyone thinking that this will have any impact on Hl2 pirated at all.. are being niave.

If you think it's useless as a protection, then why support it?

 

[Gunner]

How would you feel if you bought Half-Life 2 and then found out that you can't play it because you don't have something that you shouldn't actually need.

Then you should learn to read the requirements on the box.

 

[Yombi]

i dont support it either. Like feath said there are still alot of people without net connection.

And to whoever said about the MS Authentication for XP thats easy to get past And if you have a system restore disk (that you made or came with your computer) you don't have to re-authenticate.

 

[ydoucare]

It will have no effect on piracy. Not even the protection methods used on high-end applications like 3dsmax (usb dongle) and Maya even come close to stopping piracy. However, I hope people give Valve the credit they deserve, and purchase their copies.

 

[Gunner]

It will have no effect on piracy. Not even the protection methods used on high-end applications like 3dsmax (usb dongle) and Maya even come close to stopping piracy. However, I hope people give Valve the credit they deserve, and purchase their copies.

I'm sorry but to my knowledge, the only "hacking" warez groups do is basically create a cdkey generator, and those generated cdkeys have never worked online and you can be sure this authentication method will reject all of them!

 

[Sourcerer]

Just make an internet connection a requirement.
Hell, If I was Gabe, I'd make broadband a requirement.
So what if you live in a mud hut in the serengeti, Move!
As for those who don't have an internet connection, If you can afford the hardware to run HL2, then you can afford a modem and a phone line. Same goes for people who would warez this, you can afford the hardware, you can sure as hell afford to pay Valve some respect by buying this game.
I really hope they manage to prevent the game from being warezed, so all the skinflints end up stuck with having to play the stolen build.
[/rant]

 

[Yombi]

I'm sorry but to my knowledge, the only "hacking" warez groups do is basically create a cdkey generator, and those generated cdkeys have never worked online and you can be sure this authentication method will reject all of them!

Not true...with maya they have a online verification, and that of course has been hacked rather easily. (i own a copy of maya). It didnt take them very long.

No matter what protection you put in, it will be cracked. Its more there for when it first comes out. With games this does ok because people that want it will go to the shop and buy it. People who dont give 2 tosses about the game will wait tills its cracked.

 

[Yombi]

Just make an internet connection a requirement.
Hell, If I was Gabe, I'd make broadband a requirement.
So what if you live in a mud hut in the serengeti, Move!
As for those who don't have an internet connection, If you can afford the hardware to run HL2, then you can afford a modem and a phone line. Same goes for people who would warez this, you can afford the hardware, you can sure as hell afford to pay Valve some respect by buying this game.
I really hope they manage to prevent the game from being warezed, so all the skinflints end up stuck with having to play the stolen build.
[/rant]

Computers are alot cheaper to buy than a monthly fee for a net conneciton. Full speed ADSL here in NZ is about 80NZD and this only gives you 1gig download AND upload allowance...this isnt because we're in a poor area, its because our government are bloody greedy and wont open the lines up to compition. Not our fault.

 

[hiln]

What bullshit. I just moved away from a place that had no access to the internet, I know of so many people today who want the game but don't have the net (and CAN'T because of their location). What a shitty requirement. So many people are going to be affected by this, and for what?

Honestly, with this one (and I've always backed valve) I'll say it, **** valve. This is assinine.

 

[Seppo]

I fully support this. Even if it didn't fully stop some jerkwads from pirating the game, at least it will reduce piracy

 

[Yombi]

I fully support this. Even if it didn't fully stop some jerkwads from pirating the game, at least it will reduce piracy

What it will do it reduce how many people can play it...and buy it... Even though this is about steam, not the CD Boxed version (unless you play online).

Oh and one other thing about the MS Activation, you can ring a free phone number to activate your copy of XP or office

 

[Mr. Redundant]

If you think it's useless as a protection, then why support it?

anything to make piraters/warez guys lives a tad bit harder, even if for but a moment.

 

[hiln]

anything to make piraters/warez guys lives a tad bit harder, even if for but a moment.

...and people who don't have an internet connection. Yeah, it's really easy to say when you're not the one who isn't able to play a game because of a shite limitation such as this.

 

[Tiddalick]

If you buy the game, you should be able to play it.
With this system you could penalise people that have bought the game.
Isn't it said that it is better for 100 guilty people to walk free then for one innocent man to be convicted...valves system sounds more and more draconian as I hear about it.
I do not have steam installed so I wonder if I will be impressed at all with it once I do have it....

 

[Rocketman9mm]

seeing as how peoples internet can be unstable and go offline. like mine recenntly has, I'm against it. Requiring the internet for single player is the single dumbest thing I've ever heard. Why can't it just be some kind of automated telephone thing where you put in a code like activating a credit card?


If this is true, Valve sure likes to **** over the minority to fatten up their income statement. First screwing over those (a growing number) who dislike or are just plain sick of CS after so many years by including no stand alone, HL2 based multi-player, and now those who either don't or are having trouble with their internet. How many people at one time or another have had problems with their internet connection? Just this week, two of my comps suddenly lost the ability to receive anything from the internet for about a week before I was finally able to enter in the proper IPs manually when I shouldn't have had to. And there are people who go through hell wiht their net providers, so what about them?

 

[Gunner]

Why can't it just be some kind of automated telephone thing where you put in a code like activating a credit card?

And just how would that work without establishing a connection somewhere?

 

[Rocketman9mm]

last i checked telephones were still a tad more prolific and reliable than internet connections.

 

[Wilco]

what? You can get an internet connection over a telephone. All you need is a modem (ooh a good 5-10 pounds expense there. (and obviously you'd use it to do more than auth HL2 so shush on that 1). And a free internet disk. Any telephone landline is a potential internet connection. I bet the amount of people with a PC capable of running HL2 without any access to a landline is tiny.

hiln can you describe your circumstances, why couldnt you access the internet?

People seem to see it as an infringment on their privacy in having to authenticate software. "but why should I have to authenticate something I've bought legally" "Cos we dont know you've bought it legally until you authenticate it!".

Yes it'll be cracked eventually, the trick is keeping it uncracked for as long as possible. If it takes 3 months to crack the game a lot of people will have gone and paid for it. If it's cracked before the game is in shops (a la Doom 3) then you lose a lot of sales.

edit: btw rocketman9mm that wasnt aimed at you personally, just eventually someone would have said "why should we have to buy a modem just to play HL2"

 

[Yombi]

what? You can get an internet connection over a telephone. All you need is a modem (ooh a good 5-10 pounds expense there. (and obviously you'd use it to do more than auth HL2 so shush on that 1). And a free internet disk.

a free internet disk???

 

[Gunner]

last i checked telephones were still a tad more prolific and reliable than internet connections.

Yeah yeah but how do you suggest this work? so you call up Valve give 'em your cdkey then what? how would they "activate" your game? See what I mean?

 

[KagePrototype]

a free internet disk???

Surely you get hundreds of AOL disks in New Zealand? Or are the islands really that remote?

 

[Yombi]

Yeah yeah but how do you suggest this work? so you call up Valve give 'em your cdkey then what? how would they "activate" your game? See what I mean?

thats exactly how MS do it though...... there is a telecphone option. I think they give ytou some sort of key back.

 

[Yombi]

Surely you get hundreds of AOL disks in New Zealand?

lol yes yes, we get millions *cough* lol

There is no free net in nz anymore it was good when we had it though

 

[Gunner]

thats exactly how MS do it though...... there is a telecphone option. I think they give ytou some sort of key back.

Ah okay that would work hehe.

 

[Dr. Freeman]

If you think it's useless as a protection, then why support it?

because if u don't try, u will never know what u can achieve.
i don't think it will stop piracy...but perhaps it will discourage it.

 

[Wilco]

Well if nobody in New Zealand offers free dial up discs it's obviously illegal or a huge gap in the market, you should find out because you could make a fortune. Its probably Illegal for some reason, you probably need a populist uprising to get the law overturned.

Oh you say you had it, why was it stopped?

 

[Mr. Redundant]

...and people who don't have an internet connection. Yeah, it's really easy to say when you're not the one who isn't able to play a game because of a shite limitation such as this.

you know what? I didnt even think of that... My appologies.. in that case, its pretty retarded.

yeah if you have no connection etc.. that blows majorly.

 

[Gotter]

If the game requires an internet connection to authenticate once, it will have under the system requirements "This game requires a one time internet activation" or some such. If you buy it without seeing it, it's your fault, not thiers.

I fully support online authentication, the more people do it, the more incentive it creates for making newer faster internet technologies and allows all you people in remote areas to get it someday. Do you want them to stop? That's a good way for them to say, "Hey, what are we spending money on research for, we don't need the internet to make money."

Really people. The world moves on, don't blame the rest of us for your misfortune. It sucks, and I feel for you, but that's just how the world works. Faster, better, stronger, technology will advance regardless of if you're unhappy that you can't play a game or not.

 

[Homer]

There is NO WAY a offline copy needs online activation. I'm starting to think that everything in the pc gameplay review is total garbage. Thats where we got the 19 hours crap, and the 90% crap.

 

[Yombi]

Well if nobody in New Zealand offers free dial up discs it's obviously illegal or a huge gap in the market, you should find out because you could make a fortune. Its probably Illegal for some reason, you probably need a populist uprising to get the law overturned.

Oh you say you had it, why was it stopped?

It's been done, not enough money to be made from it here. To small. all 3 ISP's that were free went paid. They were pretty unreiable once pople started getting it, with busy tones and everythng. I supose they just thought it would be easier to charge, or it was a great ploy to get alot of people hooked onto the net then start paying.

 

[SaotomeCyclone]

If I have to be connected to the internet everytime I have to start the game then that would be an issue.

But in any case, there will no doubt be a crack made for it. No questions about it.

 

[fragShader]

It's been done, not enough money to be made from it here. To small. all 3 ISP's that were free went paid. They were pretty unreiable once pople started getting it, with busy tones and everythng. I supose they just thought it would be easier to charge, or it was a great ploy to get alot of people hooked onto the net then start paying.

they aren't talking about free ISPs, they are talking about the kind of sample disk u get with a magazine that gives you 30 days free AOL or whatever. all the big ISPs make them as a way to get new customers.

if NZ doesn't have those i'll eat a CD. i have piles of AOL ones here in Australia.

 

[Narcolepsy]

I have a personal contribution to this debate. I was in a position where, due to the hurricane, my cable internet connection could have been wiped out for months, and will be for some people.

If the game was released in that span, what would I do? My computer is in perfect working order, buy I couldn't play it!

I am against extraneous authentification unless it is truly transparent, which so far has not come to pass.

 

[Homer]

I kind of doubt this is true, pc gameplay really ran a 2nd rate review from what I have seen.