Evening Reading: Digital Distribution and You!

by Brian Leahy, Mar 01, 2010 5:00pm PST

Portal 2 evidence?

As I sit and wait for Steam to finally go live with the pre-load for Battlefield: Bad Company 2--it might be live by the time you read this--my thoughts turn to how much PC gaming has changed for me since digital distribution became more prevalent. As consoles become more profitable and retail stores began cutting back on shelf space for PC games, it was harder to snag a new game on release day (without pre-ordering).

Now, I can purchase a game and pre-load it so that the moment it is released, I get access. I've seen a few users complain about "not owning" these digital games or express concerns about their digital library if any of these digital services go under. All valid concerns, but I'll blindly trust my digital overlords for the convenience.

Make sure to join the Shacknews BF:BC2 Steam group by posting in the comments, which will keep you updated on any Shack servers and Shackbattles)

Tonight's Game of the Evening is:

Homeworld - "Probably the most atmospheric RTS ever made. For such a simple story, it managed to make a lot of people turn into big sissies on the 3rd mission. One of the last games to have a real manual, too." (Beady)

I too miss manuals! Especially now that all of my PC games are digital and console game manuals are barely three pages long.

Here are some videogame stories from today:

The PlayStation 3 is having some problems.

Analyst Michael Pachter isn't too concerned, though.

Garnett previews God of War III.

Braid creator, Jonathan Blow, details his new game.

Also, StarCraft II vortex nukes! (Thanks, Felraier)

Read all the News

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#31

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By: OverloadUT x Show Full Post

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I am so excited about this Valve announcement. We're definitely going to see a Portal 2 or Episode 3 announcement very soon! :D

Mar 01, 2010 5:08pm PST

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I am so excited about this Valve announcement. We're definitely going to see a Portal 2 or Episode 3 anno... : OverloadUT
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 183 replies.
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  Valve announced today that Episode 3 will come out in 2012. : soggybagel
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    Hahaha : wurt
    - Valve announces the day after that it will be delayed until two thousand never. : locater16
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    That would mean it's really coming in 2014 : PenicillinX57
    - Which would actually mean it's coming out in 2018, but we'll have a screenshot in 2015. : Sink the Pink
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  What valve announcement? ? What's going on?!?! O_o : DM7
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    Valve release a Portal patch today which kicked off an ARG. There were several new audio files containing... : OverloadUT
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      this one's made more progress http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1169218 : Veegeezee
      
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      Dunno how true this is: "From images: 9459C6CAC8C203B8128B7CC63068D4FD Translates to BBS#: (425) 822-... : Creepin_Jeezus
      
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      Shall we play a game. : massdev
      
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      Bwahahha. "I googled "phone number lookup" and got this, which says that the number is an unpublished ... : Creepin_Jeezus
      
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      That just means its a land line that valve setup. Someone needs to hyperterminal that bitch : pancake humper
      
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      Oh, excuse my lack of geographic knowledge, Kirkland near Valve? I thought that was Seattle / Washington?... : Creepin_Jeezus
      
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      Costco headquarters is in Kirkland, the next clue must be there. TO COSTCO! : alphablu
      
      I got my skidsteer on the trailer lets tear this bitch apart! : pwnjoo
      
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      Valve is actually in Bellevue, which is just across the water from Seattle basically. Kirkland is next to... : Iwannaacura
      
      word is valve was founded in Kirkland : wimpy1
      
      Yeah it's close to them : pancake humper
      
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      http://filebox.me/files/uydn1ftcz_a.png http://maps.google.com/maps?q=47.6762+-122.2086&ie=UTF8&hl=en&l... : yAak
      
      H&R block uses temporary buildings. THat could very much not be an H&R block NOW. : squigiliwams
      
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      So, who has a modem to dial into that with? : Serpico74
      
      I think I have an ISA modem somewhere...but where would I plug it in? : Conan
      
      a LOT of laptops, especially business laptops, still have modems. mine does, but i have no idea how to us... : retarded talking dinosaur
      
      fucking awesome, the hash is correct : Veegeezee
      
      Probably translates into another image? : kingdepork
      
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      im amused that no one knows how to dial into bbs's anymore. those were the days : retarded talking dinosaur
      
      get off my lawn fiber, grandpa! : devpaul
      
      BBS? Don't they make wheels for cars? ;) : ArbyBean
      
      i used to yell to my parents, "DON'T PICK UP THE PHONE I'M DOWNLOADING STUFF FROM A BBS." : FrayLo
      
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      "Here's what happens if you call the # with a regular phone. The time it takes to pick up really makes me... : Creepin_Jeezus
      
      sounds like more pictures : acidravelamp
      
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      I can't listen to that, but the call I made sounds like a normal not in service message. : Octagator
      
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      err, did it change from a modem sound to a no longer in service? : Octagator
      
      Hmm, either I misdialed or it was down. I probably misdialed. Seems a little odd, hangs on that high no... : Octagator
      
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      Doesn't sound like any modem or fax machine I've ever heard. : BlackCat9
      
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      Sound like more morse code. : razlebol
      
      Save the sound file and run it through Audacity. If you slow it down you can see like it's morse code. : tboomer2
      
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      Get the fuck out of here, this guy is trolling, right? UPDATE ON BBS Someone has successfully conne... : Creepin_Jeezus
      
      He is probably not trolling : OverloadUT
      
      Supposedly you get back this signal? http://www.tindeck.com/listen/urou : Masem
      
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      I don't know the username, but the password is probably gaben. : pyrogen
      
      probably an account with no password, like the account the hacker that released the hl2 source got into t... : Haxim
      
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      it's 200 baud. : Yanks
      
      THEY MADE AN AI! I demand atleast 14.4k/s from my AI providers! : tboomer2
      
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      fuck i have a powermac g4 right here with a modem but my boss is on the phone : Yanks
      
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      I'll wake up my crazy amiga friend. He's one of those bearded hermits who hordes old technology. : LoioshDwaggie
      
      I realized also that it would be a long distance call, stupid landlines. I probably shouldn't do it :( : Yanks
      
      There is definitely something underneath that tone. : Crimsonbeak
      
      more sstv : anhero
      
      such a pitty the iphone does not have the capability of dialing a dataline for a connection. : CoRDS
      
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      Bwahahahahaha! <+Robin> The number you people are non-stop telnet accessing is someone's home. <+Robi : Creepin_Jeezus
      
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      Although... http://i46.tinypic.com/2uhmfy0.jpg : Creepin_Jeezus
      
      Yeah...that's Valve. Not someone's home. : majestik
      
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      As in Robin Walker? Hahahahaha : spazzium
      
      It's just some guy trolling the forums. : Octagator
      
      Time to bust out my l33t hex edited TELIX client : jingletard
      
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      Maybe this BBS is actually storing a gold copy of Half-Life 2: Episode 3. The catch? You have to downl : Arctic Fox
      
      so its just as fast as steam dls games on release day anyhow : papaskot
      
      8 years. : chilln
      
      Damnation, I pulled out my PCI modem to try and dial this number but then I realized that my land line do... : alias
      
      That's pretty cool... : ShadowRam
      
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      Can I just say that after spending an ice age reading people rehashing info from 3 hours ago because they... : Creepin_Jeezus
      
      lol, you think people read Shack threads : Arctic Fox
      
      It's the only place I comment regularly because of the reply system. : OmegaRed59
      
      Haha, I never consciously realized why I liked the format here so much. : quadeh
      
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      ...And I'm awake again. I swear the people on that forum are retards. This also makes me think this would... : Creepin_Jeezus
      
      #3192
      
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      By: Creepin_Jeezus x Show Full Post
      
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      AHAR! https://wave.google.com/wave/?pli=1#minimized:search,restored:wave:googlewave.com!w%252BWICUVG8AA
      
      Mar 02, 2010 4:01am PST
      
      AHAR! https://wave.google.com/wave/?pli=1#minimized:search,restored:wave:googlewave.com!w%252BWICUVG8AA : Creepin_Jeezus
    - I bet the transmissions are from the Borealis. : Mad Brahmin Disease
- this is really cool : _jon
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  i <3 my Companion Cube plushie that accompanies me on my bed. so anything Portal related is <3 for me :D : head crab
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    Have you coupled with it? : BlackCat9
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      He's a head crab, of course it has. O_o : DM7
      
      Wait, that means it's now an undead zombie companion cube o_O : master_disaster_17
- What an awesome way to leak an announcement :D : Arctic Fox
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  Valve is announcing that they're having pizza for lunch tomorrow. toppings still undecided. : crypt420
  - Update: pepperoni : pancake humper
- Hay, we made the Valve Forums Megathread! woot : Octagator
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  Valve is the best game developer mankind has ever known. I will fight anyone that disagrees. : filtersweep
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    Blizzard. FIGHT ME : Felraiser
    - Nintendo. : David Craddock
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    I disagree, Blizzard is better : mnok
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    Valve should do an RPG and Blizzard needs to do a FPS : Metatron85
    - Both would be pretty awesome. : Turd Ferguson
    - How about Valve + Blizzard do an FPS/RPG? : Marrbe
  - I dont disagree, but lets rumble anyways. : alphablu
  - They're also the friendliest. : Amnesty_intl2
  - lets dance : red2lucas
  - Origin > * : razorblade79
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  ""dinosaur17.wav" translates as this: "BEEP BEEEP BEEP BEEP BEEEP BEEEP BEEEP BEEP BEEEP BEEP BEEP". If y... : Link.
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    it just makes me think, "you have discovered: satellites." : skryte
    - hahaha, I was wondering if anyone else thought of that as well : JuffoWup
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  Could one of you with an SA account pull down the audio file from here: http://forums.somethingawful.com/... : LoioshDwaggie
  - NM, got it. : LoioshDwaggie
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  LET IT BE KNOWN: http://www.shackpics.com/files/cs_militia0001_n3utqufh5se7lg6tob5n.jpg : _jon
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    oops wrong thread sorry : _jon
    - Hey, a Valve thread is a Valve thread! : guido anchovy
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  Yeah I think we need Portal 2, then L4D3, then TF3, then L4D4 then............ ffsake Valve, episode... : abrasion
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    Well, Portal 2 or TF3 before Ep. 3 wouldn't be totally wrong. L4D3 would be upsetting though. And there... : Grumbeld
    - No, L4D2 was upsetting, L4D3 would be riot worthy. : abrasion
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  Me and my friend just spent the last 3 hours looking for all the radios.... we found 25 of the 26. So an... : TheVietSpecial
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    did you get the one at the bottom of the incinerator? there's also a hard one in the piston room. they... : Xevo
    - Thanks, I think I found out which one we missed :D : TheVietSpecial
- how do I see my achievements? It is in-game only right? Or can I see them via the steam ui? : baconisgod
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  The best running theory right now, as people try to log into the BBS, is that the system there is reporte... : Masem
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    I would really doubt Valve would go to so much work to tout the GDC. : Octagator
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      lol they either have a panel or Gabe is announcing the date of the next game at his awards speech, that's... : Xevo
      
      Yeah, but it's not like the 3/11 date is a surprise. Anyway, all kinds of info is coming out now with AS... : Octagator
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  Counter-Strike2. It *has* to be done. : sukabljat
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    I love CSS but I wouldn't mind a refresh and an upgraded engine. I know the guys over at joe.to would be ... : Dr_Cube
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      ^^^ I want to see an update to the physics engine at the very least. I hate jumping on an object only t... : deathofrats
      
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      I wish we could get some of nippers maps on Rydogg's CSS server. He just uploaded some new customs so it'... : Dr_Cube
      
      Zombie Escape is a LOT of fun, it's fundamentally different then the L4D style of gameplay, but I've had ... : MercFox1
      
      That's already there... The server just needs to turn it on : sv_turbophysics 1 !!!! : ArtilleryMarker
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  Absolutely L4D2 Part 2 : snuff
  - snow map! and zombie shark map! : radula
- ASCII images after logging into the BBS being to different sites now. : Octagator
- This image was decoded from the BBS!!! http://scuttle.mirror.waffleimages.com/data/files/74/745d2d133bd68... : retarded talking dinosaur
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  GDC. Wait for it. : -sk-
  - ^ inside info here. : Godhatesfatpeople
  - More like OGC fap fap fap fap fap fap fap fap fap fap fap fap fap fap fap fap fap fap fap fap fap fap : Maddog_Delphi97
- I hope at the end it's goatse or something and Valve is like "ARGs are dumb. Here's the new shit" : ventro
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  Let's hope it's not another 2 hours of shitty repetitive wallspace levels. Cut out 75% of that and I give... : capt tripps
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    What game are you talking about here exactly? : justwr!ght
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      Wolf 3D : bombay
      
      That sounds about right. : justwr!ght
      
      lol : Godhatesfatpeople
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      Fucking Portal : capt tripps
      
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      ...was awesome. I finished your sentence for you. : Godhatesfatpeople
      
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      Oh, I liked it. It was just that the part between the beginning puzzles and the end was way too long. : capt tripps
      
      This makes no sense. : Nali4Freedom
      
      So you're saying that you liked Portal, just not the game. : master_disaster_17
      
      having to jump on board with the "what the fuck are you talking about?" train : mwasher
      
      you're out of your mind. : moshman
      
      a thousand disfigured kittens purr in unison : ArB
      
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      But the game is just 5 hours long : crunkfunk
      
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      In the future, there will only exist mini-games since attention spans would have withered to tiny husks. : Klebold
      
      The future is now it seems : crunkfunk
      
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      Are you talking about the sections after you break out of the testing areas? Those were the best parts of... : popkorn
      
      I assume he's talking about the starting levels leading up to that with all of the gray walls. : valael
      
      *record scratch* : MercFox1
      
      troll right? : umegastar
      
      such a sad broken thing you are. : master_disaster_17
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  so the borialis has the moving platforms and the weird forcefields from portal. ep3 is going to the bori... : papaskot
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    half-life 2: episode 3: portal 2. rolls right off the tounge. : jujubeads
    - Half-Life 2: Episode 3: Portal 2: Electric Boogaloo : quadeh
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  It's going to be fantastic, I really cannot wait. Especially since the Orange Box was such a ridiculously : quadeh
  - Also, I'll bet anything Valve includes L4D2 in any new "Box" deal just as one last act of attrition to th... : quadeh
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  i must be broken because neither of those excite me. portal just made me kind of motion sick and HL w... : xxiv
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    Yup. Go see a doctor, your fun-o-meter is showing some real strange readings. : master_disaster_17
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      i can see people being all omg about hl, i can understand. but portal to me just felt like i was a rat... : xxiv
      
      You're right, there is not much story in Portal as such, but what there is is very well done. When it ... : master_disaster_17
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  I will say, all spite aside, I am 100x more happy about this announcement than the L4D2 one. I quite en... : abrasion
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    im glad i got to play through it before all the "cake is a lie" crap got around. : jujubeads
    - Yeah exactly that, I found it novel and fun overall and the cake stuff was mildly humourous the internet ... : abrasion
    - Seriously. : Arceihn
    - ditto. talk about beating shit into the ground : Draugluin

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