WTF? Original Half-Life (Anthology version) requires Steam?!?

[AnitaPeterson]

Hi there,

I just bought Half-Life Anthology from the Bargains bin of my local grocery store, and before I got to open it I saw on the security sticker that it requires a Steam account...

Steam wasn't even in the works when the original Half-Life came out! Why should I have to use it? I am totally against the idea of allowing third-party applications and servers access to my PC. Not to mention that I was also planning on installing and playing this on a laptop with no internet access.

All the reviews I've seen on the Amazon page linked above are actually giving Valve thumbs down for shoving Steam down their throat.

Since I didn't open the package, and I don't want to have anything to do with Steam, I think I'll return the game... and now I'm so pissed, I'll actually look for the original cracked versions on BT...

Talk about alienating your customers. Even when they want to be legit... :disgust:

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: AnitaPeterson
Since I didn't open the package, and I don't want to have anything to do with Steam, I think I'll return the game... and now I'm so pissed, I'll actually look for the original cracked versions on BT...

The ethical thing to do would be to keep the legal copy if you're also going to download some warez.

Or buy an older used copy of HL1 that's pre-steam. A WTB in FS/FT would probably get you one for $10 shipped.

 

[tfinch2]

Originally posted by: AnitaPeterson
Hi there,

I just bought Half-Life Anthology from the Bargains bin of my local grocery store, and before I got to open it I saw on the security sticker that it requires a Steam account...

Steam wasn't even in the works when the original Half-Life came out! Why should I have to use it? I am totally against the idea of allowing third-party applications and servers access to my PC. Not to mention that I was also planning on installing and playing this on a laptop with no internet access.

All the reviews I've seen on the Amazon page linked above are actually giving Valve thumbs down for shoving Steam down their throat.

Since I didn't open the package, and I don't want to have anything to do with Steam, I think I'll return the game... and now I'm so pissed, I'll actually look for the original cracked versions on BT...

Talk about alienating your customers. Even when they want to be legit... :disgust:

:roll:

So you want to be legit, but you say you're going to take the game back and download the original cracked version? LOL

 

[AnitaPeterson]

End-user ethics notwithstanding, forcing customers to get entangled with Steam for a 10-year old game which only has a nostalgia value is ridiculous... and it's a backfiring strategy.

This is a pack of (theoretically) four old games, selling together for $10. They would have been a good deal without Steam. In this formula, however, they're not worth the hassle of staying legit. That is precisely the point I was trying to make. You want to convince people who pirate stuff to go for the real stuff? Do it in a sensible manner, and at least you'd still be making some money and everyone would be happy.

It's like Wal-Mart selling movie downloads for $10, and the files cannot be saved to disc, or become unplayable after 24 hours... must've been a great scheme on paper!

 

[DaveSimmons]

Most people (including pirates) will shrug and let Steam run.

Most commercial applications phone home now, so people are used to net-based activation and copy protection.

 

[tfinch2]

Originally posted by: AnitaPeterson
End-user ethics notwithstanding, forcing customers to get entangled with Steam for a 10-year old game which only has a nostalgia value is ridiculous... and it's a backfiring strategy.

This is a pack of (theoretically) four old games, selling together for $10. They would have been a good deal without Steam. In this formula, however, they're not worth the hassle of staying legit. That is precisely the point I was trying to make. You want to convince people who pirate stuff to go for the real stuff? Do it in a sensible manner, and at least you'd still be making some money and everyone would be happy.

It's like Wal-Mart selling movie downloads for $10, and the files cannot be saved to disc, or become unplayable after 24 hours... must've been a great scheme on paper!

Why are you so scared of letting Steam run? IIRC you have advocated pirating in an RIAA thread. Plenty of pirates let Steam run.

Also, isn't there an offline mode for HL and HL2?

 

[AnitaPeterson]

I despise copyright measures running amuck.
I always buy an original product when it's convenient and reasonable to do so. For crying out loud, I bought the Atomic Edition of Duke Nukem for $8 some time ago... and the Gold Edition of Unreal, brand new and sealed for $10. I even got an original copy of Daikatana at a flea market. But Steam is NOT reasonable. Where do you draw the line?
Securom is acceptable. Sony rootkit is not. As far as I'm concerned, RIAA, MPAA, the original DIVX and STEAM represent the worst aspects of corporate control.
I happen to like to keep my computer and my internet connection strictly to myself.

 

[Ichigo]

Steam is great. You're overreacting. If you cannot access it, return the game and stop whining.

 

[PingSpike]

I vastly prefer steam to all the difficult to copy cd games that require the cd to be in the drive. I never got around to breaking the copy protection on my dungeon keeper 2 CD so that I could make a backup. Then the other day the CD slipped out of the case (I was being careless) and cracked when it hit the floor. Thats the end of that game now! Ruined. With steam, I could just download it and even burn it to a backup disk if I wanted.

 

[Noema]

Originally posted by: PingSpike
I vastly prefer steam to all the difficult to copy cd games that require the cd to be in the drive. I never got around to breaking the copy protection on my dungeon keeper 2 CD so that I could make a backup. Then the other day the CD slipped out of the case (I was being careless) and cracked when it hit the floor. Thats the end of that game now! Ruined. With steam, I could just download it and even burn it to a backup disk if I wanted.

I agree. I actually like Steam...I don't see why so many people hate it. Sure, it enforces copy protection, and phones home...many games and software (including Windows) do so anyway these days, and they still force you to keep the CD in the drive. Steam offers a convenient way of launching, buying and organizing games (not to mention it patches them automatically, which sure beats trying to find mirrors and installing the latest patches with other games).

Another cool thing is that I can access my account (and thus my games) from any PC. For instance, if I am at my parents house and feel like playing HL2, I can just fire up steam, get to my games, and D/L the game. No need to carry CDs around.

 

[Pwnbroker]

Originally posted by: NoemaAnother cool thing is that I can access my account (and thus my games) from any PC. For instance, if I am at my parents house and feel like playing HL2, I can just fire up steam, get to my games, and D/L the game. No need to carry CDs around.

Guildwars lets you do this too, play on any computer without the cds, and you don't need a Steam type account and software mgmt program taking up memory and resources. Just a login. I just wish Guildwars was a little funner to play.

 

[Bateluer]

I like Steam myself. You know it has an offline mode, right? You'd have to let to connect once when you install it and thats it.

 

[PingSpike]

OP, you should buy an used pre-steam copy in your situation. I'd offer to sell you mine, I don't play HL games anymore really, but I already registered it to my steam account.

Actually...I lost the CDs a long time ago too. I remember, I lost the CDs during a move and wanted to play a HL mod about a year later. I was pretty upset. Then I went to my parents house, where the game was still installed on their PC. I pulled the CD key out of the registry, added it to my steam account and started downloading HL!

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

Originally posted by: AnitaPeterson
Since I didn't open the package, and I don't want to have anything to do with Steam, I think I'll return the game... and now I'm so pissed, I'll actually look for the original cracked versions on BT...

Stop whining and stop making stupid comments like that. If you really want to play HL without Steam, just buy an original copy off eBay.

 

[40sTheme]

What's wrong with Steam? Just use it...