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Half-Life 2 Update
by Steve Gibson, Nov 13, 2004 4:58pm PSTHere is your brief statement from Valve Software on the current situation. As suspected it appears to be in VU's hands to let the game be unlocked:
Half-Life 2 For Sale? November 13, 2004, 4:57 pm If you have purchased a copy of Half-Life 2, we are sorry you are still waiting to play. This is not Valve's choice. Vivendi is insisting that the game has not yet been released, and has threatened that Valve would be in violation of its contract if we activate the Half-Life 2 Steam authentication servers at this time. Thanks for your patience and we will update you when we have more news to share.
Comments
I've tried searching but can't find anything (i most likely just suck @ the search).....does anyone know if there will be varieties or hl2 to buy in retail? I like steam's hl2 silver package and was wondering if a similar deal was being made available at retail.....
also - have you all found it easy to back up the hl2 files using a dvd burner? i saw a few posts saying there was a utility to do such a thing....but that they aren't overly impressed w/the program....
http://web.uvic.ca/~mwquinn/hl.jpg
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http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?FN=wow-general&T=385040&P=1
WoW will only allow play on your local server(can't pick servers) and you can't play a US server if you don't have both a credit card and US billing address...which pretty much screws overseas people like the military, etc.
A lot of guilds and people with loved ones in other parts of the country are not happy over this one either. That decision alone pretty much kills any sort of inclination I had to even try WoW. I wouldn't be able to play with most of the people I usually do.
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I an quite certain that the money I sent to Valve worked properly when they recieved it, and yet I have been expected to accept 'the promise' of a working game at some point in the future. And fellas, we have absolutely no guarantee of a game to play on Tuesday, this could drag out for 6 months legally if VU wants to be shitty. And based on this weekend, I bet they have no problem with shitty.
I guess I didnt really think it through when I sent my CC info. But I have decided that I DONT like it. I worked hard for that money, and i expect better service. If I went to buy a $40 steak, and they told me, "pay now and we will get to work raising that calf", I would laugh in their face and walk out.
What the hell happened in this country that we accept being treated like criminals, even with no proof of a crime? Because that is exactly what has happened, we are all being made to pay the price for a very small number of assholes. Well, I am no criminal, and fuck these companies that think they have the right to treat me that way.
It is only a fucking game after all.
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If you're the kind of person who doesn't mind this kind of stuff, fine. But don't tell me I should be like you, cause I am not. Thanks. :)
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kekeke ^_^
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The game shouldn't be playable before the publisher's release date. If it weren't for steam, most of the people playing right now would be pirates posting their lame messages of how awesome that one monster is.
You should have been a good Valve supporter and bought through Steam, purchasing at Best Buy just means you support the bad guys.
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at the time I couldn't believe anyone would be spending much time with a game where the AI was an afterthought. Basically early pub sounded like you would be walking through a virtual haunted hourse, predetermined stuff popping out of walls.
Wonder if anyone thinks HL2 will be taking over their lives? I know I am excited as hell, but I doubt I will still be playing it next week.
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i remember reading 3am pacific? is that tuesday morning or wensday morning?
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HL2 is out and yet not out. This is frustrating; as gamers all, the mods are just as annoyed as the rest of you. And while we can't really insist that you be patient with Valve/VU/HL2, we can and are insisting that you guys show more patience with one another. We don't care who you think is at fault here, Valve or Vivendi. One thing is clear: the Shacker you are responding too is not at fault. So stop yelling at each other, or we're going to start handing out week bans for personal attacks. And if you get too vitriolic towards Valve or Vivendi, we'll probably ban you for that too just because we're vindictive, not to mention frustrated.
Shack Mod Staff
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Some of the scenarios in the game just fucking rock. I can't wait until Tuesday, yet I'm perfectly content waiting until Tuesday with the confidence that it'll be worth it.
Remember Valve was also the first company to start with the CD keys back when the original Half Life was released, every other company does this now, for it has become a standard. My prediction is if Steam is successful, this too will be a standard 5 years from now.
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"...This is not Valve's choice..."
(communicates helplessness, sympathize with Valve)
"... Vivendi is insisting that the game has not yet been released..."
(Make Vivendi look like liars)
"...and has *threatened* that Valve would be in violation of its contract if we activate the Half-Life 2 Steam authentication servers at this time..."
(Valve is the victim if they are being threatened, again sympathize with them)
That's very professional of Valve to be painting a picture that they are the victims and Vivendi are the 'evil doers'. They shouldn't even be considering releasing the game early or trying to change VU's mind. They signed a contract that said Nov 16th. End of story.
They have a history of pointing the finger at other people besides themselves when they fear an angry lynching. I'll never forgive those guys for calling Ritual's work on CS:CZ "deleted scenes".
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No real good guys or bad guys here just corporate entities fucking with each other at the emotional expense of consumers.
TL;DR: Just capitalism.. here move along nothing to see
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Even if ID and Activision did this.. we would still be in this situation.
Your problem is Vivendi have to honour their store date for a few reasons.. mainly if peeps see HL2 is on steam tonight, why would they wait till Tuesday to go to a store. Thats lost income for V.
Its a strange twist Valve are kinda like legal pirates right now... they wanna release this thing online before the store date and let all the peeps get it tonight by downloading it.. ok so they are paying to do it.. but it's a strange twist really.
Personally I feel they should have gone for a Friday release, but perhaps Vivendi intentionally put this on a Tuesday to cause Valve the expected embarassment of early store selling.
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That is our policy . Its simple .. if a competitor breaks street date then all bets are off.
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Valve made Steam and people are bitching at Vivendi?
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http://www.gamestop.com/default.asp?sect=2
Scroll down to Comming Soon on the left side
Click the Half-Life 2 Special Edition DVD link, which is:
http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product_id=645817
Now that is comedy GOLD!!!
repost from ER http://www.shacknews.com/ja.zz?id=8993580
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My guess would be something like 30% Steam and 70% retail.
I think the general public wants a box and disc(s) or just doesn't have the option of downloading it. But theres also alot of gamers who want to support Valve and/or are to lazy to go out and buy the game.
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I don't fault Valve in the least for this mess. They created this verification and authentication system long ago, and Vivendi knew of it from Day One.
Steam is a great step towards a publisher-free future. If a studio like Valve can self-fund and release games via Steam, that means less pressure from pubs, less milestone bullshit from pubs, less hard street dates from pubs.
I guess you can choose who to blame here; Vivendi for not allowing Steam to be opened up, or Valve for implementing it in the first place. Why blame the innovator? Vivendi is being stupidly old-fashioned and stubborn. They are stuck in a retail world of cardboard boxes, paper sleeves, and retarded ship dates.
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This is the same thing. However, the issue comes to setting a precedent: Valve AND VU should have thought this through a lot more carefully (x1000,) because now you open yourself to litigation from retailers who feel shafted that other retilaers broke the street date, consumers who bought a product that they can't use for 48 hours, and steam users who some of which paid over a year ago ago (ATI deal).
A mess. I guess with new inventions comes this sort of thing. One thing is for sure: The middleman is getting cut out for HL3, I'm pretty sure.
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