Installing anything to your C: == put it on the OS drive

Sounds like you are looking for something to bitch about.
This comment was edited on Jul 18, 23:13.

You know what I like? being consulted about when and where it's ok to download stuff.
Installing to C != "I want gigabytes of content on my OS drive"

Next up, the when. Given Steam launches the damn games, you'd think it might shut off the download it's doing that eats your bandwidth up, at least while you're playing them.

I don't see how this is anything different from a site that provides XML data on all the new patches, movies etc that automatically connects and downloads them for you.
While it's at it, and I'm "subscribing" to all these games, why can't it download previews, reviews, developer interviews and patches of other games?
It just seems like a download manager that's been built into a site like fileplanet, without much forethought about what functions it should be providing as a download manager.

If I'd kept them all, I'd probably have a 5'x5'x5' volume of game boxes wasting space in my apartment.

You'd kill yourself if you seen the amount of game boxes I have in my house. I even steal other peoples boxes even if I already have the game. Big stack in the corner basically. Mind you I have no furnature in my house so it fills in a blank spot.

RECENT NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE DISCLOSURE


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3076349.stm
Human rights group Amnesty International has condemned the US

http://web.amnesty.org/pages/usa-110703-action-eng
Urge the USA to revoke Military Order and guarantee fair trials for all

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3001588.stm
US 'mistreats young immigrants'

And sod the download a game idea... I like having my property, that I have payed for sitting in front of me, in a box.

First thing I do after getting the CD out of the box is... throw away the box. WTF good is it? If I'd kept them all, I'd probably have a 5'x5'x5' volume of game boxes wasting space in my apartment. I never get around to selling them once I'm through with them either. So I wouldn't mind being able to download it and burn it for cheaper than I can buy it at the store. The only downside is that I wouldn't be able to lend the game to a friend after playing it.

If you want the box, buy the box. Why are people bitching about this? You're not losing anything. FUCKING WHINERS!

My (aforementioned) nephew's computer appears to have had his broadband internet connection die during Steam installation. It could be co-incidence but... now I'm probably going to have to drive 600 miles to put it right. (yeah, I know, it's as good an excuse as any. I like my family, if only they didn't disapprove of me so much)

I agree with your comments and I'd hoped Steam would be an invisible patch machine but it does seem to be more intrusive than that. It's like we all just used to watch TV and there were ads, then there were just ads and we watched out for the TV. <shrug> you play you pay.

Not too impressed with Steam as an app. Of the 4 ppl i know (inc me) who have donwloaded it they have all exprienced hangs and umpteen restarts to get it to update everything, and then every time you turn on your pc it starts updating some more (across various OS's - 98/ME/XP). Also it seems to monolpolise the PC's resources during update, as windows leave trails, desktop icons and text go missing and everything slows too a crawl with periodoc hangs. I have more than enough crap cluttering up my systray without steam and its constant interuptions. I know its beta, but still this isn't leaving a good impression.

And sod the download a game idea... I like having my property, that I have payed for sitting in front of me, in a box. As mentioned b4, I can back it up, re-install with no hassles and delay, i don't need an internet connection at all for the single player experience, and i can sell it when i bore of it and put money towards buying something newer with the proceeds. You pays yer money, you makes yer choice.

I thought originally steam was going to be a user freindly transparent upgrade/patch system. Need the latest patch for that buggy shitty software/game - no problem its updated for you in the background while you're reading your mail or playing another game, or having a dump, etc. No searching for it on 'no-fee' d/load service sites and buggering around - its all done for you.
Thats a nice simple effective service. I get the impression its all gonna fall on its arse anyway, but this is the way providers of all sorts of services want things to go (piped movies/games/pay-per-view/etc).

I've only had a very quick go on CS 1.6, but it seems to have some interesting changes. Not sure about the riot shield yet. New cheaper rifles are damned handy.

See you on the 1.6 servers.

Brimstone.

>Short-hand translation :
>OKAY, WE GET THE POINT. THE GENERAL CONSENSUS IS THAT HALF LIFE WAS GOOD. WE'VE ESTABLISHED THAT BY NOW.

Short-hand translation:
duh...

This comment was edited on Jul 16, 20:40.

And don't call that 340 'beta test' number, people. It's obviously bullshit. the 340 area code is in the virgin islands. valve is nowhere near there.

Why do you assume that all mods would have to be on steam servers? It's a content delivery system for valve, not for the entire mod community.

My main reservation with Steam is the mod communities. How does Steam effect mods and home brew levels?

Do you still download everything, and leave it in a special folder for when you want to play using the mods? That seems like a very strange way to do things, very against the concept of Steam to begin with. Or do the mod & level creators have to send all their content to Valve & Steam to have it distributed with the packages?

The second option probably is the most likely, and with the EULAs that are the norm these days, I wouldn't be surprised that if you want to distribute your content, you have to give valve certain... rights... or else you're SOL. I know Valve has in the past been very supportive to the community, but I smell the potential for abuse. Also, the fact that everything would be piped through the Steam servers would mean that valve had the final say on all maps and mods. That's bad business in my book, because part of the beauty of fan created content is the ability to be free of the developer's control to an extent.

I personally don't see how this can help the mod community, but that's just me.

* REMOVED *
This comment was deleted on Jul 16, 21:33.

I'm sure you're not trolling, it's just a matter of personal opinion obviously. However, I think what other people, myself included, saw in Half Life was a FPS with a consistent (not necessarily good) storyline which unfolded in a cinematic way through in-game scripted events. It wasn't about finding the red key for the red door - which IS the standard for just about every other shooter prior to HL. After HL if you sent the gamer off on a hunt for a particular door key hidden in an illogical or incosistent area and you weren't being ironic about it then your game got slammed. HL added months to the development cycle of games which were due for publication shortly after it appeared - no question. The support that Valve gave to MOD enthusiasts is right up there with id and that's high praise. Plus right off the block, almost, they released a free TF add-on, officially. Now everyone's doing that but it wasn't always the way. So while the HL story may not deserve all the praise it's gotten (no offense to Marc Laidlaw, who is a talented SF writer but he was working within clear constraints.)it was streets ahead of anything else available prior to it while still being an accomplished game in its own right.

Short-hand translation :

I liked the game, its not as great as some were claiming it was, but its still good.

OKAY, WE GET THE POINT. THE GENERAL CONSENSUS IS THAT HALF LIFE WAS GOOD. WE'VE ESTABLISHED THAT BY NOW.

This comment was edited on Jul 15, 16:05.

I'm all for it. The idea that I have to get up and go to a computer store to purchase software really bugs me. Same goes with music and movies, etc. I want digital delivery, and I will support those companies I respect, like Valve, in their efforts to move us all into the future.

Who cares if they are making more money from this, that just means more valve games. The point is, we are still paying less, and I see enough advertisement in my life already, another pop up ad here or there isnt going to kill me if I save money on the purchase AND get it before it hits stores.

We already know that the video game industry has, for the most part, turned from making good games for people who love them, into making a profit as fast as possible. If I had to choose a company thats going to be making a large sum of that profit, it would be the makers of Half-Life. At least they know how to put that money to good use, unlike other companys *cough* EA *cough*

Xenos you ignorant slut.

Oh, don't get so defensive over a question about the game, you twerp. I didn't do anything to insult your beloved game.

Xenos you ignorant slut.

I'm sure you're not trolling, it's just a matter of personal opinion obviously. However, I think what other people, myself included, saw in Half Life was a FPS with a consistent (not necessarily good) storyline which unfolded in a cinematic way through in-game scripted events. It wasn't about finding the red key for the red door - which IS the standard for just about every other shooter prior to HL. After HL if you sent the gamer off on a hunt for a particular door key hidden in an illogical or incosistent area and you weren't being ironic about it then your game got slammed. HL added months to the development cycle of games which were due for publication shortly after it appeared - no question. The support that Valve gave to MOD enthusiasts is right up there with id and that's high praise. Plus right off the block, almost, they released a free TF add-on, officially. Now everyone's doing that but it wasn't always the way. So while the HL story may not deserve all the praise it's gotten (no offense to Marc Laidlaw, who is a talented SF writer but he was working within clear constraints.)it was streets ahead of anything else available prior to it while still being an accomplished game in its own right.

Um, and as for Steam - I like the concept but have certain missgivings. Currently I buy a game, play it until I finish it and then pass it on to my nephew. Short of letting him use my Steam account, and presumably cutting myself off from it for the duration, I can't see myself being able to do that. So the price on Steam would have to be considerably cheaper that buying the box. Heck, if I wanted to buy a game at retail, play it until I'm bored with it and then sell it on ebay - monetarily I'm playing the game for the difference in cost vs sell value. Maybe 50% or less depending on how quick I finish it and how hot the game is. THAT to me is going to be Steam's problem.

Oh and on a final note, I installed the latest CS through Steam today and was reasonably impressed. I did generate an error somewhere down the line and had to restart, but once I did it ran fine.

This comment was edited on Jul 13, 06:16.

If your in Canada and are thinking about a DSL ISP provider then all you have to do is check the Synpatico site for service in your area because unless Synpatico can reach you than no one else can. Everyone has to go through the Synpatico\Bell sevice.

God Bless the fact that they took the caps off. Geez.. I wonder why??? They didn't tell anyone they put the caps on and they didn't tell anyone they took the caps off. They are such Saints to do so. I am such a sinner for doubting Synpatico. Bandwidth limits will still be an issue for people!

A game that had a far more flakey storyline than even DooM, monsters that had HP Lovecraft written all over them, a stupid jump in the very end, and even females in tight black spandex with silenced pistols. All this ushered in what some called the new revolution in gaming *across the entire spectrum of electronic entertainment*. Now, for those who are prone to throwing out the trolls in the forums, I'm not doing so with Half Life. I'm just suggesting that explaining the encompassing success (I mean beyond the mere hellacious sales and popularity of Counter Strike) of Half Life in a thesis paper would be one hell of an entertaining and forthwright accomplishment. The problem: Being lucky enough to have the right English teacher who would appreciate such a work.