You are so wrong on so many levels. There are those of us who remember back in 1999 Valve was talking about a network of gaming isps called Powerplay. When they were discussing it a lot of what they were pushing sounded suspiciously like what Steam eventually became. Also, remember the first Steam beta? it was like 3 years ago. And remember that second Steam beta? That lasted for like 18 months. Yeah, completely a last minute idea.
Indeed? I was unaware of that. Implementation still feels rushed, somehow, though.
Trust me when I say that I've seen this once or twice before. Perhaps my nose is wrong, or perhaps it's just the implentation that's rushed. We'll have to see.
The second account you're wrong on is that, guess what? VALVE LIES TO PEOPLE BECAUSE IT HELPS THEIR MARKETING!
No kidding. You neglected to quote the bit where I pointed out this possiblity.
You're talking and thinking about HL2 more than you are Doom3, right?
No kidding. Doesn't matter what I talk about, only what I buy. A month ago, I had a preorder in for HL2. Today, it's cancelled.
How's that for the genius of the Valve marketing machine?
Seriously, come on. Apply Hanlon's Razor, won't you?
HL2 doesn't need marketing shenanigans which will *only* be taken note of by those who were already going to buy HL2. Kinda silly, if you think about it.