This sucks., Steam is Worthless.......

[chavy85]

OK i haven't played games in a long time. tried to install the DVD of HL2 with 4 other games with it.. anyhow Steam installs first thing, then. it said it installed HL2 cool!!!! now i want it to install counter-strike : source, then it' starts do do something. and says it's going to be 34 hours and 52 min till the game will load???
WTF is up with that.. I'm on dial up, i cant wait for it to Dl this sh*t, i can't even play in off line mode, i have asked to not to update my games but does it listen? NO!!! i'll NEVER buy another Steam game again...

any ideas???

HR
p.s. they should tell you that you need high speed internet not just assume that every one does...

 

[giant384]

its downloading the games through steam. so install through the cd.

 

[kupocake]

Surely the fact that you can't download CS:Source fast enough tells you enough about what it'll be like to actually play it? Seriously. You'll be ejected from many servers simply because of your ping, and even those you can play on, it won't take you long to realise what a stupid idea playing CS:S on dial-up is.

p.s. they should tell you that you need high speed internet not just assume that every one does...

Valve built Steam on the observation that a vast number of people do have high speed access. The sales lost to those who don't have dial-up (many of which won't even have a decent enough PC to run the game) aren't nearly enough to put in place anti-piracy measures. Valve don't have some kind of philanthropic obligation to dial-up users. They're a buisness.

 

[chavy85]

ok so your saying i can't play these games offline?
i know with the CS i have i can add bots and play off line or at home on my LAN with friends..??/
i've tried install from the Cd won't work just load this damn Steam BS. i run LAN parties ALOT and i mean like 100+ people. and no internet connection.
so i can't play CS source here cause i don't have high speed?
all i want is to play. not online. just here with my LAN.
maybe a class action is in store....

it should not have to DL the damn game. i have the frikin DVD!!!!!!!!!! WTF i hate these games already and i havent even been able to play them.... AAAAHHHH

 

[Qonfused]

Oh well. Being on dial-up, you're the minority and, as we all know, minorities don't get to voice their opinion.

I don't know what to tell you.

 

[kupocake]

ok so your saying i can't play these games offline?
i know with the CS i have i can add bots and play off line or at home on my LAN with friends..??/

The bots aren't good enough to justify a download on a military grade connection, and definitely not a 56k connection. If you attend a LAN party, that's a bit more reasonable. However, unless you're at a very strange LAN party, there is little reason why someone outside of the 99% of people you meet there can't burn you a backup using Steam's backup facility. I'm not 100% on whether you can have the game authenticated and backup whilst offline, though I suspect that the answer is no. But still, you could come away from the LAN with the intention of authenticating the files and then going back another time with offline mode enabled.

Or just get a friend to make a backup for you. Assuming that you're not lacking broadband because you live on a small island with only one house on it and thus don't have too much human contact

Thinking about this, I'm not sure I understand the nature of your complaint. The reason why CS:Source is virtually impossible for you to download is that Valve have trippled the content contained within it over a two year period. Not because Steam pillaged your village and raped your women. I don't see why the game should stay in an undeveloped form just so it can be easily downloaded by a group of people who can only play it every time they haul their PC to a LAN party.

maybe a class action is in store....

You, two elderly men and five chickens in Texas (The 56k using internet gaming community) don't quite bring it up to class action level Besides, it's not like you have been barred entirely from playing the game. You just have to take a couple of trips to Mars and sit on your hands a while until the game is fully downloaded

as we all know, minorities don't get to voice their opinion.

The Majority are the silent ones, not the few who have complaints.

 

[impgrinder]

I was one of the complaining few. Its only because of the various problems the minority face, that we whine and complain ;(.
Anyway, Im not really a fan of multiplayer gaming. I just stick to the single player games.

 

[The Brick]

I believe it says right on the box that you need atleast a broadband connection.

 

[Shasta]

Nope. Just an internet connection.

 

[Azner]

In this era, do we count Dial-up as internet connection?

 

[Operational]

Yes we do.
The requirements should really ask for a broadband connection since steam forces the updates on you - its unfeasible for dial-up users.

However in chavy85's case you could do what kupoartist suggested or you can just copy the relevant gcf files from somebody who has an updated version they are found here
\Steam\SteamApps
You probably won't be able to play it at that LAN but it should cut your downloading time considerably when you get home.

 

[Jintor]

Well, the requirements are an Internet Connection. You can play with a 56k connection, but you'll have to wait a couple of days to do so.

The recommended Internet Connection though is Broadband speed though. So... yeah.

 

[Kyorisu]

Be patient get the files from someone you know or get a better internet connection. Odds are without some of the updates HL2 and CSS wouldn't run too great.

 

[pomegranate]

Why don't you just get broadband?

 

[Azner]

Cuz dial up is much Cheaper =D and its still an internet connection!

I still can remember the tone it plays when it dials up

 

[kupocake]

Cuz dial up is much Cheaper =D and its still an internet connection!

Depends where you are. In the UK and USA there is very little in the way of a price difference. I remember Riomhaire saying that the situation isn't quite as good in Ireland though.

 

[Azner]

Riomhaire is on Dial Up?

 

[Operational]

Depends where you are. In the UK and USA there is very little in the way of a price difference.

Same in Australia. And when you factor in phone line charges and the fact that it ties up the phone there is really no reason to choose dial-up over broadband... assuming you have that choice. I know somebody who lives in a brand new street in the suburbs barley 30mins from the center of Melbourne and he can't get broadband.

 

[pomegranate]

FFS if broadband is available to you and you choose not to have it, please don't bother us with your self-afflicted technical problems. Assuming you live in a reasonably rich country, it's NOT expensive, it's a few dollars/pounds/euros per week. If broadband is beyond your means, I really don't see that you can afford PC gaming in the first place.

 

[chavy85]

ok i can't get broadband here cause they don't offer it to my house, no cable and to far for DSL. there is SAT but WAY to much money. so is it just DLing the updates.? i have to DVD for the game files, is there a way i can make it play without the updates?
if they are going to force the Dl then they need to tell you what size the files are and that you should have a BB connection.
i use my Cell phone right now and it's free. and @ 230 KBPS it's not great but works.. i average Dl speeds of around 15.?? Kbps so if the files are BIG witch i guess they are, it'll take FOREVER!!!!! when i have the DVD. i SHOULD be aloud to play.....

it's against the law for them to take the game back. so im stuck with the POS game till it gets DL'ed.....

HR

 

[giant384]

ok i can't get broadband here cause they don't offer it to my house, no cable and to far for DSL. there is SAT but WAY to much money. so is it just DLing the updates.? i have to DVD for the game files, is there a way i can make it play without the updates?
if they are going to force the Dl then they need to tell you what size the files are and that you should have a BB connection.
i use my Cell phone right now and it's free. and @ 230 KBPS it's not great but works.. i average Dl speeds of around 15.?? Kbps so if the files are BIG witch i guess they are, it'll take FOREVER!!!!! when i have the DVD. i SHOULD be aloud to play.....

it's against the law for them to take the game back. so im stuck with the POS game till it gets DL'ed.....

HR

lol against the law...wow. its not against the law its just they wont take it back because you already tied the cd to the account in which it cant be used by someone else. the updates will depend on what content is burned on the disk, but unlocking the game might take awhile.

 

[chavy85]

so yeah i have the CD code all i need are the files? anyone care to burn a cd and send it my way? should be faster... lol...

looking into Satlite internet and it's $100 mounth. for only 7?? K DL speeds. not no megabit...
AAHH i miss my old house.. i had 6 MB servise there DL ISO's was cool took about 20 min..
oh well..
someday the world will catch up to where i am.
it' is peaceful here though..
HR

 

[giant384]

are you serious 700k for satilite is 100 a month???? thats crazy

 

[Jintor]

ok i can't get broadband here cause they don't offer it to my house, no cable and to far for DSL. there is SAT but WAY to much money. so is it just DLing the updates.? i have to DVD for the game files, is there a way i can make it play without the updates?
if they are going to force the Dl then they need to tell you what size the files are and that you should have a BB connection.
i use my Cell phone right now and it's free. and @ 230 KBPS it's not great but works.. i average Dl speeds of around 15.?? Kbps so if the files are BIG witch i guess they are, it'll take FOREVER!!!!! when i have the DVD. i SHOULD be aloud to play.....

it's against the law for them to take the game back. so im stuck with the POS game till it gets DL'ed.....

HR

I can't remember how long it took to unlock and load HL2 mere days after release when I got it, but I do remember the impression that it took about a night and a half or so. And that was on slightly better than 56k... whatever the next best thing was.

But you, my friend, have a ****load of updates to the Steam Client and to HL2 to deal with. So... bottom line, it's oging to take forever.

 

[jackmaxwell]

I have a pentium d 3.oghz 800mhz fsb L2 cache,2o48mb DDR2 daul channel memory geforce 62hundred turbo cache (and how do I run the steam dignostics tool??)

 

[Operational]

ok i can't get broadband here cause they don't offer it to my house, no cable and to far for DSL. there is SAT but WAY to much money. so is it just DLing the updates.? i have to DVD for the game files, is there a way i can make it play without the updates?
if they are going to force the Dl then they need to tell you what size the files are and that you should have a BB connection.
i use my Cell phone right now and it's free. and @ 230 KBPS it's not great but works.. i average Dl speeds of around 15.?? Kbps so if the files are BIG witch i guess they are, it'll take FOREVER!!!!! when i have the DVD. i SHOULD be aloud to play.....

it's against the law for them to take the game back. so im stuck with the POS game till it gets DL'ed.....

HR

The way I see it is you can do the "friend at a LAN thing" like I (and others) have suggested.
OR you could contact Valve - from what I hear they are pretty good, i'm sure they would understand your situation and might have a way around it.
http://support.steampowered.com

 

[kupocake]

1. Get a friend to make a backup of CS:Source and all games that you own, via the "backup" dialogue in Steam (requires they have full downloads). A full backup will probably be about 2 DVDs, and many more CDs, so offer to pay for them (or alternatively, invite them round your house and have a LAN)
2. Install these backups from their CDs DVDs or across the network
3. Connect to the Internet and then Steam, this will authenticate the game and ensure you can use the offline mode.
4. Restart your computer, DON'T connect to the internet and see if all the games will work in offline mode.

If it works, you will be in a far better position to recieve future updates as the ammount of content added to CS:S and the original HL2 package (i.e. what was shipped on the original Sierra discs) has been slowing up recently, and you've probably got most of what the games are ever going to include. A new map will probably set you downloading for quite some time, but it'd probably "only" be a day or so of downloads. If you'd rather not get all the new content released after your backup, simply avoid ever connecting to the internet when you run steam, and always run steam in offline mode. That way, it will never know there is a new version available. Bare in mind though that you'll have to have whatever version of the game is circulating at the LAN party, so you'll probably be incompatible with the other LANers. Though if such large LANs insist on running CS at a LAN without a connection to the internet, that's kind of stupid.

 

[myth]

once installation is done, u doint need to connect steam online to play. make sure ur modem is off while firing up steam.