Steam

[johnstone]

I know VALVE feel this is the way forward in gaming and maybe it is, but it has really made this HL2 release one of the most complicated piece of nonsense I have ever seen. You have retail versions, gold versions, silver, bronze, collector editions etc etc. Then you need to log onto Valves very own Steam to play a game you bought in a shop, so that means buying an internet connection, modem, cables etc. You then need to setup a steam account....jeez its a nightmare!

You then have pre-load or download. Maybe the servers will crash and then lots of people can't play a game they have bought with their own money.

If this all goes tits up then Valve will be made to look stupid.

Long gone are the days when you went into a shop bought a game took it home and played it.

Its really taken the shine of this game in my book.

 

[DiSTuRbEd]

Great to hear about this "complicated piece of nonsense," I'll talk to VALVe.

 

[HunterSeeker]

Long gone are the days when we have to wait several weeks due to non international distribution.

 

[Yogibbear]

I know VALVE feel this is the way forward in gaming and maybe it is, but it has really made this HL2 release one of the most complicated piece of nonsense I have ever seen. You have retail versions, gold versions, silver, bronze, collector editions etc etc. Then you need to log onto Valves very own Steam to play a game you bought in a shop, so that means buying an internet connection, modem, cables etc. You then need to setup a steam account....jeez its a nightmare!

You then have pre-load or download. Maybe the servers will crash and then lots of people can't play a game they have bought with their own money.

If this all goes tits up then Valve will be made to look stupid.

Long gone are the days when you went into a shop bought a game took it home and played it.

Its really taken the shine of this game in my book.

Yes....and ah......no..... at first when steam came out, it was a pain playing cs on steam... but since then people have learnt that steam can evolve and will continue to evolve. Also, i highly doubt that Valve would allow steam to crash just as they release hl2... you could pretty much bet that in the next couple of weeks leading up to the release they will be testing it a lot!.....

 

[Jeehde2]

Johnstone, I think you miss the point...

Valve did this so everyone can buy whatever he wants...

I just want HL2 and CS Source, so the normal edition will be

enough...

Steam is just a program which shows us great how the future will be..

It works very easy and you can do what you want...

So dont blame Valve for messing everything up, they

do everything to make us happy....

and even if Steam would suck (which it doesnt), they still made

the greatest game of all time...

I think its great what Valve is doing!

 

[MiccyNarc]

I know VALVE feel this is the way forward in gaming and maybe it is, but it has really made this HL2 release one of the most complicated piece of nonsense I have ever seen. You have retail versions, gold versions, silver, bronze, collector editions etc etc. Then you need to log onto Valves very own Steam to play a game you bought in a shop, so that means buying an internet connection, modem, cables etc. You then need to setup a steam account....jeez its a nightmare!

You, my friend, are an idiot.

Name ONE person that is going to buy HL2 and does not have a pre-configured internet connection.

You then have pre-load or download. Maybe the servers will crash and then lots of people can't play a game they have bought with their own money.

You really don't know what you're talking about, do you.....

 

[johnstone]

But you can't denie it has made the purchase of HL2 a complicated one.

Just remember not everyone who plays this game spends time on messageboards. They will read in a magazine that HL2 is out pop down to the shops and buy it. Get home pop it in the drive and OMG they need to connect to the internet to play it.

I just feel its unecessary to involve Steam in the purchase of the game. Why not give people the option to join?

I agree steam seems to be the way forward and looks very good from what i have seen and heard, but I just feel it unethical to expect everyone who buys the game to register with steam.

 

[johnstone]

You, my friend, are an idiot.

Name ONE person that is going to buy HL2 and does not have a pre-configured internet connection.


You really don't know what you're talking about, do you.....

Yeah thats right I am an idiot for expressing an opinion.

 

[DiSTuRbEd]

But you can't denie it has made the purchase of HL2 a complicated one.

Yeah because its so complicated to read words, I mean, we were never taught that in school!

 

[johnstone]

Yeah because its so complicated to read words, I mean, we were never taught that in school!

Not everyone looks at the box when buying a game....unless there is a big sticker saying "INTERNET NEEDED" but I bet its in small print on the side or something.

Also you are missing the point this is more about the fact Valve is forcing you to use Steam to play a game.

 

[MiccyNarc]

But you can't denie it has made the purchase of HL2 a complicated one.

OMG OMG OMG!!!11
I h4v3 2 pr3-l04d!!! noes!111
& wut's dis!? G0ld s1lv3r br0nz3!!1
Wut 2 chewsse!?!
I R so r3t4rded!11

I think anyone with half a brain could figure out how to pre-load and pre-order HL2. Be glad Valve gave you a choice..
And I'm waiting for a list of names of people who don't have net connections.

 

[Yogibbear]

Yeah because its so complicated to read words, I mean, we were never taught that in school!

now that's just being mean.....

*tisk tisk* what is the hl2 message board world coming to.....

(ahah... i tricked you into thinking that this is another world... )

 

[Jeehde2]

Tell us....

Im going to a shop, I buy Half Life 2, install it at home...

Then, when the game ask my cd key, I give it, of course by using Steam, and then, I can play...

What, What is so complicated about that..

Second way: You download HL2 and you get a cd key.. and start

playing... Complicated???

Its not Steam...

Maybe its just that your overwhelmed by all the different versions

but that, my friend, is something completely different..

Of course we respect your opinion.. but express yourself better

 

[DiSTuRbEd]

Also you are missing the point this is more about the fact Valve is forcing you to use Steam to play a game.

Okay, your point? I mean, I have no issues with steam at all. I love the concept and design, my lazy ass doesn't have to go look around for patches, so all I do is load up one program and updates all my VALVe games that needs updating. As I see it, thats ****ing awesome.

 

[johnstone]

Tell us....

Im going to a shop, I buy Half Life 2, install it at home...

Then, when the game ask my cd key, I give it, of course by using Steam, and then, I can play...

What, What is so complicated about that..

Second way: You download HL2 and you get a cd key.. and start

playing... Complicated???

Its not Steam...

Maybe its just that your overwhelmed by all the different versions

but that, my friend, is something completely different..

Of course we respect your opinion.. but express yourself better

Not everyone knows the game needs steam to play it.

Also do you think its right that you have to give your information to Valve to play a game? I don't.

Of course its not complicated in that sense but it is compared to buying other games and it doesn't need to be. Its just Valve wanting people to register to Steam.

If this was about authentication then they would have also given the option of using the telephone.

There is also a big thread on the 'Internet' needed to run the game and a fair few folk on that don't have an internet connection.

Also not really anyhting from Valve except a few emails to people and a wee snippit in a magazine. Why? Because Valve know what they are doing is wrong.

 

[johnstone]

Okay, your point? I mean, I have no issues with steam at all. I love the concept and design, my lazy ass doesn't have to go look around for patches, so all I do is load up one program and updates all my VALVe games that needs updating. As I see it, thats ****ing awesome.

Yeah but should you not be allowed the choice to do this?

 

[DiSTuRbEd]

Yeah but should you not be allowed the choice to do this?

I rather don't care Steam>WON thats how I will always see it. And seeing as how I will always have internet, you have my answer.

 

[Jeehde2]

Steam is just used to keep everything under control...

Come on, everyone should have internet by now...

Internet is a part of the future and Valve makes there games part of it..

To me its really clear, but I think this thread is just going nowhere...

So, here it end for me...

I think Steam is great, it works fine, if you dont like, fine, but if I were you, I would get used to it...

 

[johnstone]

I rather don't care Steam>WON thats how I will always see it. And seeing as how I will always have internet, you have my answer.

Fair enough, but not everyone will feel this way.

I have an Internet Connection and I am going to get the game when it comes out so its not a problem, but I do feel I am being used by Valve when I have to sign up to Steam to play a game I bought with my hard earned cash.

I should be able to play the game without any need to using a second party package.

This is just my thoughts.

 

[Yogibbear]

Steam is just used to keep everything under control...

Come on, everyone should have internet by now...

Internet is a part of the future and Valve makes there games part of it..

To me its really clear, but I think this thread is just going nowhere...

So, here it end for me...

I think Steam is great, it works fine, if you dont like, fine, but if I were you, I would get used to it...

Also if you don't like steam, truthfully then that's up to you because many people have already gotten used to it, just like being forced to go online to play rpg online world games..... i mean "where's the single player version for world of warcraft!!!", why don't ppl complain about that it's the same arguement. If you don't like steam go play doom 3 or some other game.....

 

[Yogibbear]

Fair enough, but not everyone will feel this way.

I have an Internet Connection and I am going to get the game when it comes out so its not a problem, but I do feel I am being used by Valve when I have to sign up to Steam to play a game I bought with my hard earned cash.

I should be able to play the game without any need to using a second party package.

This is just my thoughts.

hm.... isn't steam run by valve?

 

[czrsink]

Johnstone, you can't come on here, criticise Steam and then announce that you're actually getting the product via the very content delivery service you're slagging off. That's called hypocrisy.

Steam is the way forward. I long for the days when all my games purchases will be done online. What the hell do I need a case, a manual and a disc for? Once I've installed it, I'll never look at them again.

 

[GWalker]

But you can't denie it has made the purchase of HL2 a complicated one.

Just remember not everyone who plays this game spends time on messageboards. They will read in a magazine that HL2 is out pop down to the shops and buy it. Get home pop it in the drive and OMG they need to connect to the internet to play it.

I just feel its unecessary to involve Steam in the purchase of the game. Why not give people the option to join?

I agree steam seems to be the way forward and looks very good from what i have seen and heard, but I just feel it unethical to expect everyone who buys the game to register with steam.

And when they do go to buy it on the requirements it will state "Internet connection".
Gone are the days you have to leave the house to do your household shopping, pay bills at the bank or talk to friends on the phone, you can now do all these things with the help of the internet without leaving your seat.
Everybody should have an internet connection now, even if it is a 56kb one.

 

[Asuka]

I know VALVE feel this is the way forward in gaming and maybe it is, but it has really made this HL2 release one of the most complicated piece of nonsense I have ever seen. You have retail versions, gold versions, silver, bronze, collector editions etc etc. Then you need to log onto Valves very own Steam to play a game you bought in a shop, so that means buying an internet connection, modem, cables etc. You then need to setup a steam account....jeez its a nightmare!

You then have pre-load or download. Maybe the servers will crash and then lots of people can't play a game they have bought with their own money.

If this all goes tits up then Valve will be made to look stupid.

Long gone are the days when you went into a shop bought a game took it home and played it.

Its really taken the shine of this game in my book.

I disagree 100%. Everything about steam is good, i mean theres nothing more to say.

 

[Mountain Man]

I know VALVE feel this is the way forward in gaming and maybe it is, but it has really made this HL2 release one of the most complicated piece of nonsense I have ever seen. You have retail versions, gold versions, silver, bronze, collector editions etc etc.

More choice is a good thing. I fail to see how this makes it more complicated. You simply examine the choices available and decide which product you would like to purchase. If you think this is in any way complicated then you shouldn't be allowed to even drive a car where you have to *gasp* operate pedals with your feet and the steering wheel with your hands...ALL AT THE SAME TIME! OH! THE INSANITY OF IT ALL!

Then you need to log onto Valves very own Steam to play a game you bought in a shop, so that means buying an internet connection, modem, cables etc.

Assuming you don't have all that stuff already (and if you're reading this, chances are you do). Besides, an internet connection is one of the mimumum requirements. You may as well complain that Half-Life 2 needs at least a 1.2GHz CPU and a DirectX 7 capable graphics card.

You then need to setup a steam account....jeez its a nightmare!

"Thank you for using Steam. To create an account, please enter your user name, email address, and password."

* enters information *

"Thank you. Your Steam account has been activated."

* wonders where the "nightmare" is *

Maybe the servers will crash...

Maybe they won't. I've not had a lick of trouble with Steam since I started it using it several months ago.

If this all goes tits up then Valve will be made to look stupid.

And if it doesn't, whiners like you will look stupid.

Long gone are the days when you went into a shop bought a game took it home and played it.

Thanks to Steam, long gone are the days of driving cross town to your shop, hoping the game is in stock, hoping that it will actually be available on release day, standing in line, etc.

Its really taken the shine of this game in my book.

;(

Not everyone knows the game needs steam to play it.

It's listed as a minimum requirement. Anybody who buys a game without checking the minimum requirements is going to have problems no matter what. This information will be displayed in an easily accessible location (on the box itself), so it will be the consumer's fault if they remain ignorant.

 

[johnstone]

Oooh haven't I caused a little bit of trouble..

I'll be off then.

But before I go.....I never criticised Steam I mearly said that people should be given the choice to sign up or not.

You are all blinded by your obsession with Valve.......

 

[Mountain Man]

I never criticised Steam I mearly said that people should be given the choice to sign up or not.

First you criticize Valve for offering too many choices (I believe "complicated piece of nonsense" was the phrase you used) and now you're criticizing them for not giving you enough choice? Which is it?

Look, Steam is a part of Valve's products. It's like buying a massively multiplayer game where you have to connect to the official servers in order to play. This is no different, except you don't have to pay a monthly fee for the priviledge.

And, ultimately, you do have a choice. You can choose whether or not you want to buy Valve's products. And that, my friend, is the bottom line.

 

[huff]

Valve has brain washed all of you in thinking steam is the greatest thing in the world...

Phase 1 of taking over the world complete.

 

[GWalker]

Valve has brain washed all of you in thinking steam is the greatest thing in the world...

Phase 1 of taking over the world complete.

I'd like to see you come up with a worldwide distribution system. What's your problem with steam?
If you had just spent 6 years or whatever building a game and engine from scratch would you want people to just warez it? no that's the other thing steam is there for, its not just for distribution but authentication also.

 

[lhauert]

"I disagree 100%. Everything about steam is good, i mean theres nothing more to say."

It's certainly the best argument ever written...

 

[huff]

no problem , i actually really like the concept of steam because i am quiet lazy, but no it really does take advantage of the internet and broadband. I can see this as being used by many companys to distribute other things besides games, idk really but its possible i was just playen with the topic Gwalker <3

 

[Elimi]

At first I didn't like the idea that I would have to install Steam to play HL2. I thought I wouldn't like it or something. But now when I have used it for couple of months I'v really started to like it. It has never given me any trouble and I just love the automatical updates. It's lightweight and easy to use.

Other thing. I suppose when you install HL2 from the dvd it will automatically install steam also if you don't have one. Then it will guide you throught the registration process (if you dont have account) and I really doubt it will be that hard. I'd think even for someone who doesn't know what steam is it will be pretty easy.

 

[Varsity]

Ah'd laike some flame-grilled HL2.net postin's for suppah, Ma!

 

[Expansion Pack]

Steam is more to do with infomation gathering rather than a system for stopping piracy which has already been proven by the cracked copies of CS.S floating about the net for everybody to see and people already complaining of cheatig on Cs.s.......If it was 100% successfull then yes,A big hearty slap on the back for Valve and a new era of fair online gaming would bring in millions more players every year and make a lot of fans very very happy and i would jump and dance and sing and piss on the dead bodies of the cheats as they are one by one irradicated from gaming servers around the world..........But it won't and soon loads of players will be venting anger at how much cheating is going on within all the Hl2 mods soon to spill forth......
Of course we will know in about a week or two after HL2 release just how pirate and hacker proof the whole system is......It sure is an intresting time.....

 

[Diazo]

Steam, for what it is designed to do, which is act as an online distribution and update system, is excellent.

I have Steam installed and quite like the fact that I don't have to worry about updates or what-not when I want to go play a game. Sure, I might have to wait a few minutes while stuff downloads, but it's automatic and I can do something else while I wait and not worry about it.

However, this activation and authentication thing is not something I like. The core idea to steam is that it uses the internet to make game playing easier for the end user. By forcing this activation thing in HL2, they are making the assumption that everyone has internet, which is in no way true. Does the majority of poeple who are buying HL2 have internet, yes, does everyone buying HL2 have internet, no. It is probably also a small minority that doesn't have the internet, but when you are talking about a game this big being released world wide, I expect we are talking about hundereds of thousands of people in this minority.

I also agree that Steam, and similar services, are the way of the future, but note the "future". It will probably be another 5 years or so before the internet gets to the point where you can say that "everyone is on it"

And lastly, this is an online message board people. There is going to be no-one here who doesn't have internet access. Therefore, you will not have anyone here posting who doesn't have internet access. That doesn't mean there are people who will buy HL2 who don't have interent, it just means that they can't post on this board.

Diazo

 

[Gotter]

This whole argument could be avoided if people actually knew how software works.

You do not own any software you buy. You buy the -PERMISSION-.. Yes, read it again, the -PERMISSION-.. to install and use the software within the terms and conditions set forward by the author of the software. If Valve says you have to use Steam in order to use it's software, then there is no arguement, there is no question of fairness, or your rights. You agreed to purchase the ability to use the software and abide by it's terms and conditions when you laid your money down and opened the package.

Ignorant people should really just learn not to complain.

 

[Mountain Man]

Frankly, I'm more frustrated with the fact that I have to use Windows to play Half-Life 2 than I am with having to install Steam. Why, oh why won't more companies support Linux?

(Please note, the last sentence above is a rhetorical question. In other words, if you don't have any actual hands-on experience with Linux then I don't want to hear it.)

 

[Ghostdog]

Why, oh why won't more companies support Linux?

Beacause developing two versions is more expensive and Windows is still the most widely used OS by gamers. Compatibility and more.

 

[pixartist]

You have retail versions, gold versions, silver, bronze, collector editions etc etc.

etc? why etc? you named all versions

 

[Dr. Freeman]

Yeah thats right I am an idiot for expressing an opinion.

its only complicated if u have been living under a rock and/or u have trouble reading.. in the case of the latter then i guess it was pointless creating this thread eh?>