Prey to follow HL2 distrobution model

[warcrow]

Text

 

[Malak]

Downloading the game isn't the same as having bloatware... we'll see just how similar it is to Steam. If it is the same thing, I won't touch it.

 

[erikistired]

how is steam bloatware?

 

[doornail]

Originally posted by: fisher
how is steam bloatware?

Ummm, maybe because a lot of us just want to buy a game and play it. Not be forced to register an account, install some crappy online marketing crap, and have to connect to the internet and ask pretty please everytime we want to play the game we PAID for.

 

[NeoV]

you people crying about Steam are a bunch of babies, and likely software pirates unhappy that your stupid little programs like alcholol%%% don't work with HL2

get over it

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: NeoV
you people crying about Steam are a bunch of babies, and likely software pirates unhappy that your stupid little programs like alcholol%%% don't work with HL2

get over it

if you are stuck with dial-up, it is NOT a good method of delivery.
:thumbsdown:

i won't bother with Prey on PC if this is the only delivery method

looks like PC gaming can go to hell - if this is our only choice - i'll get a console
:shocked:

 

[Dman877]

I have a legit copy of HL2 and I hate steam because it's stupid big-brother adware garbage that I shouldn't have to deal with.

I didn't think it would be too bad when I bought it but I'm never gonna buy anything that requires this kind of BS again. What if other game companies start doing this? Imagine having like 15 useless apps opening everytime you turn your comp on.

 

[gorcorps]

I haven't had any problems with steam. I actually like not having to use the cd and having a central client open to play all the games from. It cleans up my desktop a lot not having 5 buttons for seperate games but 1 for steam. My latency is great w/ CSS through steam but subpar on other games that use their own system or <shudder> gamespy. Also, whenever a patch comes out, I get it immediately. I don't have to surf the main site to find what I'm looking for.

I don't like having to be connected to the net, but most gamers have a decent enough connection nowadays that the vast majority don't mind it. You remember those little surveys that were taken on 1.6? Well those were used to see what kinds of systems and connections people had. Lots of people must have had fast net for steam to do something like this.

Every single annoying thing in today's software is because of pirating. Like the XP regestration thing, steam was used to stop pirating.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: NeoV
you people crying about Steam are a bunch of babies, and likely software pirates unhappy that your stupid little programs like alcholol%%% don't work with HL2

get over it

What about all the people who preordered on CD or DVD, took their discs home the day of release, and couldn't play the game they paid for because the Steam servers couldn't complete the required authentication?

 

[beatle]

I'm glad Steam wasn't around for the original HL. Being one of the best single player fps games of all time, it kept me busy when my cable was dead for 18 solid days! I'd be up a creek without a paddle if it required a connection to the internet to play single player.

 

[doornail]

Originally posted by: NeoV
you people crying about Steam are a bunch of babies, and likely software pirates unhappy that your stupid little programs like alcholol%%% don't work with HL2

get over it

The pirates got HL2 just fine and they don't need steam nor a cd to play it. I am not a pirate. I've got the original HL and Opposing Force sitting on my self right now. I was looking forward to HL2 a lot. Then I found out what Valve wanted me to give up and I skipped it.

Stop being a fanboy apologist for half a second and think about what Valve pulled on us. You paid money like you bought a game, but you don't own jack. You cannot loan your HL2 to a friend. You cannot sell it in a garage sale when you get bored with it. You have to be connected to them, offer up your demographics, and ask PERMISSION to use it. They can shut you down any time they feel like it.

"But but but ... all the pirates!! We have to stop the pirates!!"

No. We don't. Pirates don't figure in. It's all bunk because pirates are not de-railed customers -- they are jerks that only want it because it's free. If steam actually stopped piracy then HL should have been cheaper, right? But It wasn't. Hell, at $60 it was MORE expensive than most games.

It's all about control and prying from you the few consumer rights you have left. What they should have done was offer both a steam download version and a retail cd-to-play version. But they wanted to pad their Steam accounts so they forced the retail buyers to jump through hoops. They are exploiting the ugly side of being a wired community.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: doornail

Originally posted by: NeoV
you people crying about Steam are a bunch of babies, and likely software pirates unhappy that your stupid little programs like alcholol%%% don't work with HL2

get over it

The pirates got HL2 just fine and they don't need steam nor a cd to play it. I am not a pirate. I've got the original HL and Opposing Force sitting on my self right now. I was looking forward to HL2 a lot. Then I found out what Valve wanted me to give up and I skipped it.

Stop being a fanboy apologist for half a second and think about what Valve pulled on us. You paid money like you bought a game, but you don't own jack. You cannot loan your HL2 to a friend. You cannot sell it in a garage sale when you get bored with it. You have to be connected to them, offer up your demographics, and ask PERMISSION to use it. They can shut you down any time they feel like it.

"But but but ... all the pirates!! We have to stop the pirates!!"

No. We don't. Pirates don't figure in. It's all bunk because pirates are not de-railed customers -- they are jerks that only want it because it's free. If steam actually stopped piracy then HL should have been cheaper, right? But It wasn't. Hell, at $60 it was MORE expensive than most games.

It's all about control and prying from you the few consumer rights you have left. What they should have done was offer both a steam download version and a retail cd-to-play version. But they wanted to pad their Steam accounts so they forced the retail buyers to jump through hoops. They are exploiting the ugly side of being a wired community.

Remember, the REAL reason the Developers are using Online delivery is to CUT OUT the publisher.

and it's GREED cause we will get NO advantage as consumers for the money THEY are saving.

Perhaps it's time to let PC gaming DIE.
:thumbsdown:

 

[igowerf]

Originally posted by: apoppin
Remember, the REAL reason the Developers are using Online delivery is to CUT OUT the publisher.

and it's GREED cause we will get NO advantage as consumers for the money THEY are saving.

Perhaps it's time to let PC gaming DIE.
:thumbsdown:

As a broadband user, I thought that the HL2 distribution was great. Initially, the activiation took about 25 minutes because the servers were being hammered, but that wasn't too bad. Since then, Steam has kept my games up to date and let me install HL2/CS:S on any system that has an internet connection. When I went home for Christmas, I easily installed it at home for my brother to play. I never have to worry about updating, no-cd cracks, or finding media.

Also, console gaming may be heading in the same direction with online distribution. Nintendo is planning on re-releasing their old games to play on the Revolution, by letting you download the games. XBOX 360 is going to let people buy game related customizations online. Without a good internet connection, you're going to be missing a lot of features in these new consoles. Internet connectivity is becoming a requirement and I'm glad to see companies like Valve pushing to use it.

I also don't understand people freaking out about programs using up RAM. Why do you need so much RAM free if you're not doing anything? If an extra 50MB of RAM usage really affects how your computer performs, then you probably have a hard time playing games on your computer anyways.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: igowerf

Originally posted by: apoppin
Remember, the REAL reason the Developers are using Online delivery is to CUT OUT the publisher.

and it's GREED cause we will get NO advantage as consumers for the money THEY are saving.

Perhaps it's time to let PC gaming DIE.
:thumbsdown:

As a broadband user, I thought that the HL2 distribution was great. Initially, the activiation took about 25 minutes because the servers were being hammered, but that wasn't too bad. Since then, Steam has kept my games up to date and let me install HL2/CS:S on any system that has an internet connection. When I went home for Christmas, I easily installed it at home for my brother to play. I never have to worry about updating, no-cd cracks, or finding media.

Also, console gaming may be heading in the same direction with online distribution. Nintendo is planning on re-releasing their old games to play on the Revolution, by letting you download the games. XBOX 360 is going to let people buy game related customizations online. Without a good internet connection, you're going to be missing a lot of features in these new consoles. Internet connectivity is becoming a requirement and I'm glad to see companies like Valve pushing to use it.

I also don't understand people freaking out about programs using up RAM. Why do you need so much RAM free if you're not doing anything? If an extra 50MB of RAM usage really affects how your computer performs, then you probably have a hard time playing games on your computer anyways.

So . . . what do you think about the gamers that are STUCK on dial-up?

What ADVANTGE does steam give ANY end consumer? Even on broadband, you paid your $55 dollars and had to wait . . . i'd rather pay my money and stick the DVD into the drive and install from there . . . patch WHEN i WANT to.

Perhaps you LIKE giving up your rights as a consumer for nothing . . . go for it.
:roll:
:thumbsdown:

 

[flawlssdistortn]

Hey what about the fact that valve releases a software update every other week, bug fixes, new maps... Steam allows for a better delivery than just posting a patch on a website. And if a company had to do that, you better believe they aint releasing more than two patches.

 

[igowerf]

Originally posted by: doornail
Stop being a fanboy apologist for half a second and think about what Valve pulled on us. You paid money like you bought a game, but you don't own jack. You cannot loan your HL2 to a friend. You cannot sell it in a garage sale when you get bored with it. You have to be connected to them, offer up your demographics, and ask PERMISSION to use it. They can shut you down any time they feel like it.

I've installed Steam on three different computers and play CS:S and HL2 on all three computers without problems. You can easiy loan it to your friend to play on his or her computer. In fact, you don't even need to meet with them to give them the media. They just need your Steam log-in, which is pretty much the same as lending your friend your CD and CD-Key. Your Steam password isn't the same as your other passwords right? I hope not.

You can easily sell it too, but people have this strange attachment to getting actual CDs. Who cares? I know a lot of people at this forum just apply a no-cd crack anyways so they don't have to dig up the discs when they play.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: flawlssdistortn
Hey what about the fact that valve releases a software update every other week, bug fixes, new maps... Steam allows for a better delivery than just posting a patch on a website. And if a company had to do that, you better believe they aint releasing more than two patches.

HOW is it better than "just posting a patch on a website"?


Some companies have been supporting and patching their game for YEARS after release. You don't need "Steam" for that.

And Valve better support HL2 if they intend to sell their exp pak.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: flawlssdistortn
Hey what about the fact that valve releases a software update every other week, bug fixes, new maps... Steam allows for a better delivery than just posting a patch on a website. And if a company had to do that, you better believe they aint releasing more than two patches.

HOW is it better than "just posting a patch on a website"?


Some companies have been supporting and patching their game for YEARS after release. You don't need "Steam" for that.

And Valve better support HL2 if they intend to sell their exp pak.

-------------------------------------------

Originally posted by: igowerf

I've installed Steam on three different computers and play CS:S and HL2 on all three computers without problems. You can easiy loan it to your friend to play on his or her computer. In fact, you don't even need to meet with them to give them the media. They just need your Steam log-in, which is pretty much the same as lending your friend your CD and CD-Key. Your Steam password isn't the same as your other passwords right? I hope not.

Sounds like you are in violation of your EULA . . .
:roll:

 

[Bar81]

Steam is crap. It does not prevent piracy. Actually, for the first time the pirated version is *superior* to the actual release for single player gaming as it's steam free.

Anyway, Prey is such a non-factor right now that if these clowns try to pull a steam the game will die so quickly they might as well have kept the project dead. If on the other hand it's just a content delivery service in that it allows you to download the game and doesn't do anything else then it should be just fine.

 

[igowerf]

Originally posted by: apoppin
So . . . what do you think about the gamers that are STUCK on dial-up?

What ADVANTGE does steam give ANY end consumer? Even on broadband, you paid your $55 dollars and had to wait . . . i'd rather pay my money and stick the DVD into the drive and install from there . . . patch WHEN i WANT to.

Perhaps you LIKE giving up your rights as a consumer for nothing . . . go for it.
:roll:
:thumbsdown:

I guess gamers stuck on dial-up are in the same boat as gamers stuck without an AGP slot for a video card. I don't have anything against dial-up users, but I see internet connectivity as just a new system requirement that happens to make my life easier.

The advantages of Steam are that I get updates without having to manually download and install updates, a process which I think should be transparent to the user. On several occassions, I've had to patch WC3 to play online because I don't play very often. The process can take about 20 minutes. I paid for the game, I installed the game from the drive, but I can't play. Oh well, I guess I have to download the patch.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: igowerf

Originally posted by: apoppin
So . . . what do you think about the gamers that are STUCK on dial-up?

What ADVANTGE does steam give ANY end consumer? Even on broadband, you paid your $55 dollars and had to wait . . . i'd rather pay my money and stick the DVD into the drive and install from there . . . patch WHEN i WANT to.

Perhaps you LIKE giving up your rights as a consumer for nothing . . . go for it.
:roll:
:thumbsdown:

I guess gamers stuck on dial-up are in the same boat as gamers stuck without an AGP slot for a video card. I don't have anything against dial-up users, but I see internet connectivity as just a new system requirement that happens to make my life easier.

The advantages of Steam are that I get updates without having to manually download and install updates, a process which I think should be transparent to the user. On several occassions, I've had to patch WC3 to play online because I don't play very often. The process can take about 20 minutes. I paid for the game, I installed the game from the drive, but I can't play. Oh well, I guess I have to download the patch.

PCIe isn't a bad alternative to AGP

i DO have "internet connectivity" . . . i am on DIAL-UP [56k]

. . . actually we're not in the same position . . . dial-up gamers probably will avoid "steam-type' delivery systems . . . do you think the "world" has broadband generally - just cause you are privileged?
:roll:
. . . it's the developer's monitary loss as i move away from PC gaming to a console or only play games i can use physical media for on my computer.

You can d/l a patch ANYtime you want to . . . i guess Steam, is for LAZY people on broadband.
[i don't have anything against broadband users]


'Steam delivery' is not for me
:thumbsdown:

 

[igowerf]

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: igowerf

Originally posted by: apoppin
So . . . what do you think about the gamers that are STUCK on dial-up?

What ADVANTGE does steam give ANY end consumer? Even on broadband, you paid your $55 dollars and had to wait . . . i'd rather pay my money and stick the DVD into the drive and install from there . . . patch WHEN i WANT to.

Perhaps you LIKE giving up your rights as a consumer for nothing . . . go for it.
:roll:
:thumbsdown:

I guess gamers stuck on dial-up are in the same boat as gamers stuck without an AGP slot for a video card. I don't have anything against dial-up users, but I see internet connectivity as just a new system requirement that happens to make my life easier.

The advantages of Steam are that I get updates without having to manually download and install updates, a process which I think should be transparent to the user. On several occassions, I've had to patch WC3 to play online because I don't play very often. The process can take about 20 minutes. I paid for the game, I installed the game from the drive, but I can't play. Oh well, I guess I have to download the patch.

PCIe isn't a bad alternative to AGP

i DO have "internet connectivity" . . . i am on DIAL-UP [56k]

. . . actually we're not in the same position . . . dial-up gamers probably will avoid "steam-type' delivery systems . . . do you think the "world" has broadband generally - just cause you are privileged?
:roll:
. . . it's the developer's monitary loss as i move away from PC gaming to a console or only play games i can use physical media for on my computer.

You can d/l a patch ANYtime you want to . . . i guess Steam, is for LAZY people on broadband.
[i don't have anything against broadband users]


'Steam delivery' is not for me
:thumbsdown:

Fine. Dial-up users are in the same boat as people stuck with regular PCI slots. You know what I meant.

I don't think all of the world has broadband, but many of the countries that have a noticeable gaming population do. I was in Taiwan recently and there's a good amount of wireless and broadband connectivity in the big cities. USA, Taiwan, Korea, and China (not necessarily in this order) have the most broadband users and also happen to have a lot of gamers, if not the most gamers.

As for patches, I can definitely download patches anytime I want to, but my little brother doesn't know to do that. He never installs patches before he plays a game and I always yell at him to patch first, then play. I'd rather have him wait 20 minutes for the first patch to automatically install than have his computer crash on him and have his save data become incompatible when he's forced to update. It's not something that computer users should have to worry about. I agree with you that if you buy a game, you should be able to play it right away, but I also think that gamers shouldn't have to worry about getting the latest patch to get the best performance or the most balanced gameplay.

I can't find a copy of the HL2 EULA so I don't know if I'm actually in violation of it. I HAVE installed it on three different computers, but all three were mine and maintained by me. If I actually gave my password to my friend to use, I would have violated the Steam EULA (it says I can't give away my password :roll: ), but I haven't. To me, lending a friend your Steam account is no different from lending your friend your game. It sounds like fairuse to me, but I still might be violating something in the EULA.

 

[apoppin]

does your little brother know how to update video card drivers? CRITICAL for new games . . . and it's right there in every game manual . . . 'till now - now the paper manual is no longer "necessary" - you can always print out the .pdf

i can't disagree with the loaning issues . . . i have 'traded' games . . . what some are saying - i can't since i have no 1st hand knowledge of it - it that you CAN be shut down by Valve if they 'catch you' doing what you are doing. . . . the HL2 EULA is probably on CD1. . . . i don't have mine here

 

[igowerf]

Originally posted by: apoppin
does your little brother know how to update video card drivers? CRITICAL for new games . . . and it's right there in every game manual . . . 'till now - now the paper manual is no longer "necessary" - you can always print out the .pdf

i can't disagree with the loaning issues . . . i have 'traded' games . . . what some are saying - i can't since i have no 1st hand knowledge of it - it that you CAN be shut down by Valve if they 'catch you' doing what you are doing. . . . the HL2 EULA is probably on CD1. . . . i don't have mine here

He doesn't know how to update drivers either. I do that for him whenever I'm home. Driver updates should also be transparent to the user though. I have automatic updates turned on for his computer to make sure that he gets the latest security fixes. In fact, I use auto update myself. It hasn't ever bogged down my system or interrupted my work. MS releases some drivers through auto update, but probably not the newest. My brother hasn't run into any drivers problems... yet.

Valve has shutdown a lot of accounts for various reasons, so I've been careful not to screw myself over. I tried playing CS:S with my roommate once and found that we can only join different servers. Joining the same server gave us a warning about the account being in use. I'm sure that's in violation of the EULA, but I just wanted to play some video games with my roommate. Is that so wrong? Valve didn't strike me down with a bolt of lightening or anything like that though. Most of us have our own Steam accounts now though and play a fair amount together.

 

[Malak]

Originally posted by: NeoV
you people crying about Steam are a bunch of babies, and likely software pirates unhappy that your stupid little programs like alcholol%%% don't work with HL2

get over it

I bought it legitly the day it came out. Took me an hour to get started playing a game I figured I'd be playing in 5 minutes. Instead I found out for some reason I had to register a single-player only game online, and then found out I had to login to that account just to play the game. After that, I had to figure out from there how to register the cd key to unlock a game that shouldn't have been locked in the first place. Since they didn't supply a manual with the game, I had to figure this all out myself. Once I found that, I waited. And waited. And waited. Activation took FOREVER.

Benchmarks were put out that showed Steam literally doubled the loading times for the game. It took upwards of 80mb of RAM to make the game run slower.

Later on I had internet troubles and lost the internet for a while. I couldn't play a single-player only game because it required me to be online. Why did it require me to be online? It does absolutely nothing with the connection, this is a silly requirement to play a game.

One day it even told me Steam was busy so I couldn't play the game. WTF, I don't give 2 cents for their POS software, I just want to play the game I bought! My manager at Gamestop didn't even get to play it for months due to lack of internet because of this. And I don't want to hear a thing about Offline mode, it doesn't work.

I will be tossing HL2 in the garbage, it's already uninstalled. Steam does nothing except cause trouble, and the people who don't believe that are just ignorant, plain and simple. There are easier ways to allow download of a game, easier ways to update it. Steam is TERRIBLE.