retail versions NEED the disc and steam versions DONT?

[Sui]

So let me get this straight. i bought HL2 retail because i wanted a shiny DVD, a lovely case and a manual to read. after i have ordered it i find that i can never play HL:S or DOD:S simply because i wanted a disc, and when i actually get the game i find i have a crappy "quick referance card" and i NEED to put the disc in the tray every time i play

now this may seem like a stupid thing, but i hate putting the CD in the drive every time i play a game- and ESPECIALLY when i play a multiplayer game! i want to just click a button and go. thats why i download CD cracks for most of my games, then just let the cases collect dust (but i dust them, so they arent dusty!!!).

now steam users obviously dont need a disc. why are they different? why cant i just load it up? now i know that the installation means that not ALL of the game is copied onto my PC and some of it is left on the disc, but why cant i just copy or download the extra bit needed and play it without the disc??? ARRRGGHHH

now this doesnt really apply to HL2, seeing as i will have completed it by tonight. but i am genuinly annoyed that im going to have to swap discs just to play CS:S. in some ways that puts me off playing it...

so is there NO way that i can run CS:S without the disc?


*note* just to say, appart from this, i havent had ANY glitches, crashes or bugs. only the smoothest and possibly best game ever, very long loading times, the game running better than far cry on medium settings when i have HL2 on high settings, and more long loading times. i love valve for favoring ATI- finally my card is good at something!

 

[G-Dub]

from a post i just made:

"i've mailed gabe about this but haven't got a reply yet.

in short... i installed hl2 from dvd, activated it etc... watched intro etc and had to go out. shut down computer normal way and basically whenever i try to play now it says i need to put in the dvd... but the dvd is in the drive.

i'm sure i've tried everything possible! is there a nocd thing out yet? it's so annoying, i have the game and can't play!!!"

basically mate, i'm sort of in the same situation as you in that i could do with a nocd crack to actually start playing the game!

if you find anything out or whatever please lemme know man, i'll do the same for you if i find out anything!

 

[Sui]

man, dont you HATE STEAM?

anyway, i just completed the game. it was kinda crappy, but kinda f*cking amazing at the same time. thats the best way to describe it. TBH the game gets kinda repetitive after a couple of hours so your not missing much for the time being. now i want to play CS:S, but i want to play it WITHOUT THE DISC because i am stubborn.

 

[LucaZone]

Retail games have been asking for CD's to be in the drive while playing for YEARS! where have you been?!?!?! The whole point is for authenticity. The only way to make sure your not playing a copied game from Warez or downloaded or your mates disk and you didnt pay for the game, is to ask you for the game disc to play it! Its the only effective method. So NOCD cracks will be considered by the steam network as pirated versions and your accout will no doubt be alerted to Valve and they'll shut it down.

They have already let on to gamers that they're tracing a Warez version of the game to see how many people download and try to use it. And its not HL2 they will stop you playing, instead they remove your ability to play ANY of their games online. So your taking a big risk.......

Your choice.

Thats the price you pay for having a disc version sorry....... People on steam need a net conneciton to 'verify' their copy before they can play it too. Although this only lasts until Valves authing server has registered that you own a complete savvy copy and will let you play offline mode.

 

[gundersausage]

Retail games have been asking for CD's to be in the drive while playing for YEARS! where have you been?!?!?! The whole point is for authenticity. The only way to make sure your not playing a copied game from Warez or downloaded or your mates disk and you didnt pay for the game, is to ask you for the game disc to play it! Its the only effective method. So NOCD cracks will be considered by the steam network as pirated versions and your accout will no doubt be alerted to Valve and they'll shut it down.

They have already let on to gamers that they're tracing a Warez version of the game to see how many people download and try to use it. And its not HL2 they will stop you playing, instead they remove your ability to play ANY of their games online. So your taking a big risk.......

Your choice.

Thats the price you pay for having a disc version sorry....... People on steam need a net conneciton to 'verify' their copy before they can play it too. Although this only lasts until Valves authing server has registered that you own a complete savvy copy and will let you play offline mode.

You actually said all that manure as if it excused them for forcing us to use a disk to play a game we payed twice as much for compared to those that dont get lumbered with this inconvenience.

 

[Sui]

well im not going to DL a CDcrack for steam anyway because none are out, but they shouldnt turn off your account if you have a crack anyway. after all, its effectively the CDkey your buying, and if you have a correct CDkey registered with your account, they should presume you have the game.

although that said, its possible to return the game to the shop and get a refund but who would want to return HL2?

 

[Nemesis-Zero]

Maybe in England it's different, but I'd like to see a place that takes an opened piece of software back at all, except to be replaced when broken.

But, come on! It shouldn't take more than (guesstimating, haha) 3.6 seconds to put the thing in the drive....hell, you could just leave it in there, you know. And everyone says americans are lazy, sheesh....

(hehe, sorry, I just had to say that last one. Hope there's no hard feelings :cheers: )

edit:

You actually said all that manure as if it excused them for forcing us to use a disk to play a game we payed twice as much for compared to those that dont get lumbered with this inconvenience.

You would've payed just as much if you had downloaded it, anyway...and them forcing us to use a disc because we wanted to buy a disc...gee....why did you bother getting it if you didn't want to use it?

 

[nbk]

Well... America IS the fattest country..

We are lazy(not me tho! I've got a 17 bmi, woot!)

 

[tranCendenZ]

The way its set up does suck, and it hurts the gamer much more than it does the pirate. It should be like this:

A) If you buy on steam, it requires steam and steam activation to work.

B) If you buy on disc, all you need is your cdkey, no internet connection or steam.

Right now Valve seems to be strongarming people into using steam, even if you buy the retail disc, which is BS.