HL-2 to the consumer: #$^# you.

**asdf** · 26-10-2004, 19:19

Q. Will the boxed versions of HL2 require any sort of Steam installations?

Doug Lombardi: During installation the user will be prompted to authenticate the copy and create a Steam account. After that is complete, the single-player and LAN games do not require an Internet connection.

what's their answer for people without internet?
**** you.

i know almost everyone who has a computer has an internet connection, but this is just bull. weeding out pirates is one thing, but screwing the customer is another.

**Night** · 26-10-2004, 19:21

Ah that's pretty lame. Won't effect me though.

**SuggestiveName** · 26-10-2004, 19:29

Why do you care? You clearly have an internet connection since you are posting this.

**BadLikeMe** · 26-10-2004, 19:37

Maybe he has an internet connection for researching and posting, but maybe it's just not fast enough for playing games online?

**asdf** · 26-10-2004, 19:42

it's a huge inconvenience. what if the people want to play single player/lan, but have to reformat? or some installation error means they will have to reinstall? sign up each time, or remember a login/password you never use? what if the steam server is flooded, down for maintenance, etc.?

it's just an extreme disservice to the customer. it'll eventually be hacked by pirates anyway.

**tydon** · 26-10-2004, 20:27

Originally Posted by asdf

it's a huge inconvenience. what if the people want to play single player/lan, but have to reformat? or some installation error means they will have to reinstall? sign up each time, or remember a login/password you never use? what if the steam server is flooded, down for maintenance, etc.?

it's just an extreme disservice to the customer. it'll eventually be hacked by pirates anyway.

My understanding is you dont need it to pplay, just to register your copy...>

That really isnt that big of an inconvenience...

**xOSERx** · 26-10-2004, 21:03

Originally Posted by tydon

My understanding is you dont need it to pplay, just to register your copy...>

That really isnt that big of an inconvenience...

To my (limited) understanding, this is a required step, similar to the program activation Adobe now uses. The difference is, Adobe allows you to do it over the phone.

**mysnistaken** · 26-10-2004, 22:27

Originally Posted by BadLikeMe

Maybe he has an internet connection for researching and posting, but maybe it's just not fast enough for playing games online?

if he can post and research that's still fast enough to register a game...besides what kind of person would buy a game they plan on playing online, but not have an internet connection? o_O

**asdf** · 27-10-2004, 01:10

here's a few points i'd like to raise

- this will, of course, be hacked somehow by someone pirating the game. it's inevitable. it does prohibit online gaming with a fake copy of course, but CD-keys work just fine like this.

Do all the above on a different computer, IE: install Steam, log into his account, do all the updates, exit from Steam, make the copy of the Clientregistry.blob file, start up and let it fall back into offline mode, make sure it all works, then exit again.

Then burn a CD of the install and take the CD to the remote computer and copy the install there.

can you say instant pirating?

- can you register a single copy of the game with multiple accounts? what if you want to sell your copy to your friend after you don't want to play any more? does he have to use your account?

- can you use your old account to register? if you can create multiple accounts, is there a way to prevent people registering accounts with a legit copy and selling them to pirates?

- if valve ever goes out of business, will i still be able to reinstall the game a few years down the road?

- will the servers be able to handle a flood of registration requests around the launch date or near holidays?

what they are doing is adding a load of inconvenience that is absolutely unnecessary, nor any better at anti-piracy than what other companies are doing now. it's not so much the convenience problem right now, but the principle of creating a new, crappy piracy-deterrent that doesn't work. they should have thought it through better.