Ships Ahoy - Half-Life 2

As noted on Steam News Half-Life 2 is now officially available at retail stores throughout North America. Though Valve's highly anticipated sequel has been available early at some over-caffeinated stores (story), the online activation process is now underway, and copies of the game purchased at stores or online via Steam can now be unlocked by restarting Steam:
Half-Life 2 is available now for purchase and to play. Those who pre-purchased their copy via Steam may access the game by restarting Steam, then double-clicking on the Half-Life 2 icon in their Steam Games directory. To purchase your copy via Steam, get Steam now.

We hope you enjoy it!
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539 Replies. 27 pages. Viewing page 7.
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419.
 
Re: 6 years for this!
Nov 17, 2004, 15:20
Re: 6 years for this! Nov 17, 2004, 15:20
Nov 17, 2004, 15:20
 
You must have read it incoherently because nowhere do I blame the install problems on Steam. Mearly that I find it an unnecessary, bloated, intrusive, piece of crap that should not be needed to play the game. What if someone without the internet wanted to play? They do exist.


Well, you have a long rant about things you hate, then turn it into a rant about Steam without giving reasons why you dislike Steam, so they two seem connected.

You do not need to be connected to Steam to play, you merely need to connect once. Yes, people without a net connection may want to play, but the amount is insignificant, and Valve is betting that there are more people that will decide not to pirate due to the difficulty here than will not be able to play due to lack of an internet connection.

It's a smart bet.


You're writing off Valve because the game gave you a short time of frustration while you installed. Ok, fine. We'll enjoy the games, you don't have to. We'll think your reasoning is stupid, but this is the internet - you're allowed to reach rash conclusions for dumb reasons and we're allowed to call you dumb for it.

418.
 
Re: 6 years for this!
Nov 17, 2004, 15:10
Re: 6 years for this! Nov 17, 2004, 15:10
Nov 17, 2004, 15:10
 
My biggest complaint is regarding the retail versions / Steam versions. I don't recall anyone ever stating that the retail version would be locked up just like the steam version, unable to be played without registering and unlocking via steam. I was under the impression that purchasing it in the store enabled you to play the single player experience on your own, completely free or any steam registration.

As WarHawk already mentioned, it was pretty clear; especially to most of the more loyal BluesNews readers.

I always knew it (I read posts that explicitly said it) even when I had pre-ordered the CE edition from ebgames.com. But after I heard how easy it was to back stuff up (before they released the backup tool), I cancelled the pre-order and switched to a Steam purchase instead.


I don't know why so many people are up in arms over needing Steam. You don't have to start it when Windows boots (there's on option to start it on-demand), it doesn't use any cycles, and doesn't consume THAT much memory. A little bloated, perhaps, but with 1GB of RAM, I can live with it.


I guess some people need to find something bad in everything; which makes me wonder how some of them find significant others.

Here, we have a kick-ass game but people are flipping out over it's distribution / piracy-prevention system. I mean, come on people, learn to enjoy life and stop complaining about every little thing.





"Space. It seems to go on and on forever. But then you get to the end and a gorilla starts throwing barrels at you."
-Fry, Futurmama
This comment was edited on Nov 17, 15:11.
"Space. It seems to go on and on forever. But then you get to the end and a gorilla starts throwing barrels at you."
-Fry, Futurama
417.
 
Re: 6 years for this!
Nov 17, 2004, 14:23
Re: 6 years for this! Nov 17, 2004, 14:23
Nov 17, 2004, 14:23
 
It will mature! Damn, human beings mature faster then steam.

416.
 
Re: 6 years for this!
Nov 17, 2004, 14:17
Re: 6 years for this! Nov 17, 2004, 14:17
Nov 17, 2004, 14:17
 
Disk and Disc, how foolish of me. Should be hung.
You must have read it incoherently because nowhere do I blame the install problems on Steam. Mearly that I find it an unnecessary, bloated, intrusive, piece of crap that should not be needed to play the game. What if someone without the internet wanted to play? They do exist.
And if you think I've been sitting around reading every little fanboy post just waiting for HL2 to drop you are mistaken.
I just figured that they(valve) would be trying to set the bar higher for such a high profile release. Wrong again. It happens to me quite often. Poor consumer? Maybe? But it doesn't change the fact of my statement that there will be no replay value without those modes.
If I had a game like HL that spawned an entire online community, I would sure as hell want my next release to please that same community instead of disappointing it. But that's just my opinion. As I stated, I been wrong before.
Are there a lot on anti-steam rants? Does that tell you something?


415.
 
Re: 6 years for this!
Nov 17, 2004, 14:17
Re: 6 years for this! Nov 17, 2004, 14:17
Nov 17, 2004, 14:17
 
My biggest complaint is regarding the retail versions / Steam versions. I don't recall anyone ever stating that the retail version would be locked up just like the steam version, unable to be played without registering and unlocking via steam. I was under the impression that purchasing it in the store enabled you to play the single player experience on your own, completely free or any steam registration.

I think it was pretty clear from the beginning that all versions would need a Steam account and activation, even the box states that an internet connection is required.


*************
* Warhawk *
*************

Igor, would you give me a hand with the bags?

Certainly, you take the blonde and I'll take the one in the turban.

Have I lied to you? I mean, in this room? Trust me, leave that thing alone. - GLaDOS

Did IQs just drop sharply while I was away? - Ripley
414.
 
Re: 6 years for this!
Nov 17, 2004, 14:13
Re: 6 years for this! Nov 17, 2004, 14:13
Nov 17, 2004, 14:13
 
Sorry to here about the disc read errors. Can't really blame valve or vivendi, bad discs happen. The whole steam thing was unpleasant and I'm sure given a few days the vast majority of the ppl installing and playing the game will have little or no trouble. The ppl who wanted it so bad on the first day are probably the only ones who will have experienced the steam delay.

Overall the process went smoothly all things considered.

My biggest complaint is regarding the retail versions / Steam versions. I don't recall anyone ever stating that the retail version would be locked up just like the steam version, unable to be played without registering and unlocking via steam. I was under the impression that purchasing it in the store enabled you to play the single player experience on your own, completely free or any steam registration. That was the only reason I purchased it in the store. (I opted for the CE because I had some extra change on hand) Had it been more clear I would have purchased it via steam as you get more features for the money and don't have to load a CD to play the game.

As for CS, I expect more from valve than to port a 4 year old team play game. Had they done some things to bring the game up to todays standards, or just added new levels, I'd be somewhat satisfied. CS:S is a dissapointment. A big one.

413.
 
Re: 6 years for this!
Nov 17, 2004, 14:10
Re: 6 years for this! Nov 17, 2004, 14:10
Nov 17, 2004, 14:10
 
I just finished the airboat level. My god. I haven't had that much fun in a game in years. Simply amazing.

As a side note, this whole airboat (and I'm sure the buggy section) really shows how dynamic Source is. You could build an entire game around JUST the airboat very easily. Awesome.

---
http://www.oceas.com/SpreadFireFox
--
He cut the possum's face off then cut around the eye socket. In the center of the belt buckle, where the possum's eye would be, he has placed a small piece of wood from his old '52 Ford's home made railroad tie bumper. Damn, he misses that truck.
412.
 
Re: 6 years for this!
Nov 17, 2004, 13:53
Re: 6 years for this! Nov 17, 2004, 13:53
Nov 17, 2004, 13:53
 
Never had any problems with Steam here either. Best part was that I did not have to go from store to store trying to find out whether they had the game in stock or not. Just preload and wait for the clock tick down to zero hour.

This is probably the first game that I "purchased" at 5 in the morning and started playing right away

You cannot make anything fool-proof. The fools are too inventive
You cannot make anything fool-proof. The fools are too inventive

GW: Tr Gandhi (Ra), Shiva Sung (Mo), Mangal Pandey (Ne), Rana Pratap Singh (Wa), Boddhi Satwa (Ri), Bhagat Singh (De), Bahadur Shastri (Pa)
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411.
 
Re: 6 years for this!
Nov 17, 2004, 13:37
Re: 6 years for this! Nov 17, 2004, 13:37
Nov 17, 2004, 13:37
 

Steam has been flawless for me. I will use it again, and I found it refreshing to buy and download the game over the internet. This is how it should be in this day and age.

Those of you who did have problems with steam have to realize that this technology is inevitable. Steam has a some bugs, just like any other software out there. It will mature, especially after this massive load test (selling HL2 and the back catalog) Valve just put on it. Stop friggin whining and join us all in modern times.

---
http://www.oceas.com/SpreadFireFox
--
He cut the possum's face off then cut around the eye socket. In the center of the belt buckle, where the possum's eye would be, he has placed a small piece of wood from his old '52 Ford's home made railroad tie bumper. Damn, he misses that truck.
410.
 
Re: 6 years for this!
Nov 17, 2004, 13:23
Re: 6 years for this! Nov 17, 2004, 13:23
Nov 17, 2004, 13:23
 
Most of these anti-steam rants are incoherent, like the one above. Typos, swears, and the inability to tell the difference between a disk and a disc.


Now, I haven't installed from disc, but stopping at disc 4 doesn't sound like a Steam error. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you install and THEN authenticate, so the crash at disc 4 would have nothing to do with Steam, and your anger is entirely misplaced and therefore idiotic.

Also, if you expected cool mp modes, well, you're just a poor consumer, because it was stated quite often that CS was the multiplayer. And discussed here endlessly. I don't like it, you don't like it, but you should have known about it.

409.
 
CS:S What is so great.
Nov 17, 2004, 13:22
CS:S What is so great. Nov 17, 2004, 13:22
Nov 17, 2004, 13:22
 
I guess seeing that CS was being created inside the source engine I expected the game to grow as well, and I don't feel it has. Same guns, same sounds, even same levels. It's more than a little dissapointing that the game feels and acts so similar to it's predecessor when it's inside a game that has the potential to do so much more.

For CS players I'm sure there are lots of subtle differences but to me I just see a cheap port. Feels like Half-Life 2 doesn't have a multiplayer side atm. Kind of a big let down.
Hope they add it in soon...

408.
 
6 years for this!
Nov 17, 2004, 13:18
6 years for this! Nov 17, 2004, 13:18
Nov 17, 2004, 13:18
 
I've been reading Blue's since the beginning but have never posted till now. Picked up HL2 yesterday. Was a little leary of buying a Steam game since I swore off it when it first came out because it was intrusive and such a pain in the AS#! But it was HL2 and I had to at least try it since I had so many good memories of the original(Still the best multiplayer experience I've had, played DM and TF everday).
Started installing it at 8:00pm. Finally saw the start screen at 10:37pm. After six tries at installing only to fail at the forth disk every time. Found the CS error on line but this did not fix the problem. When I did include CS it failed with a different error. Finally found the problem to be a nice big gouge in the forth disk. Had to run it through my skip doctor three times to get it to read. Finally get in installed and click the ICON. WooHoo!!! ready to play, Wrong!!! Hung my system. Did a reboot and tried again. Again excitement brewing, but wait first it has to unlock the files. Twenty minutes later(broadband 3Mb/sec)it is finally ready to start.
What the Fuc%!!!!. Are we trying to install a game or launch a nuclear missle!
I figured after all this time Steam would be streamlined and robust. But it's more intrusive and bloated then ever.
Do I really need all this crap to play one game? Not on your life. I will play HL2 through then it will be deleted with all the other crap it installed and I will never give a Steam powered game or Valve a chance again.
I realize that they were hacked and feel a need to protect their product. But being hacked was their own fault not ours so why should we pay the price? There is a fine line between security and making your customers feel like a dancing bear jumping through firery hoops. They didn't just cross the line, they rubbed it out of exsistence!
After all this time I was expecting pretty cool MP maps and modes. Where are they? CS? been played to death. What a cop out! If they don't release a Muti-P patch this game will have no replay value at all. I guess they figure the community can just do it them selves. What the hell they been doing for six years?
As for the game itself, it's pretty cool but it will never wash the sour taste of Steam from my mouth. Once complete it's back to EB for some credit and Gabe and Valve(and to a lesser extent Sierra for the disk gouge)can kiss my steammy ASS! Guess I should go back to waiting for DN Forever or TF2. As long as they have been in development they gotta be great! right, right?.... hello?


407.
 
Re: Banging on Steam
Nov 17, 2004, 13:16
Re: Banging on Steam Nov 17, 2004, 13:16
Nov 17, 2004, 13:16
 
haha yeah Boris rules. I've been getting into Corrupted heavily again... and Sun((O)) which is a lot less brutal than either bands but still great on the stoner drone stuff.

Is there anything new you have read or heard about Boris? He just said they were going their seperate ways, being that Norb is pretty much the only original memeber, I thought maybe he was tired of it, or maybe other guys in the band were tired of it......and somehow it would carry on.

Oh well.

406.
 
Re: HL2 vs. CS: Source
Nov 17, 2004, 13:11
Re: HL2 vs. CS: Source Nov 17, 2004, 13:11
Nov 17, 2004, 13:11
 
Doom3 was crap next to this, and I say that as a LONG time id software fan. I wasn't even impressed with the look of DOOM3. It looked very plastic to me. Like everything was sprayed with a clearcoat. I couldn't stand running back and forth in the lab levels. It bored me to death. Reminded me of the spaceship (purple hallway) level in Halo 1.

---
http://www.oceas.com/SpreadFireFox
--
He cut the possum's face off then cut around the eye socket. In the center of the belt buckle, where the possum's eye would be, he has placed a small piece of wood from his old '52 Ford's home made railroad tie bumper. Damn, he misses that truck.
405.
 
Re: HL2 vs. CS: Source
Nov 17, 2004, 13:03
Re: HL2 vs. CS: Source Nov 17, 2004, 13:03
Nov 17, 2004, 13:03
 
One major reason HL did so well is that Valve kept adding MP value, keeping people interested long enough for mods to mature.

Agreed! And I hope what you say comes true within the next few months.

You cannot make anything fool-proof. The fools are too inventive
You cannot make anything fool-proof. The fools are too inventive

GW: Tr Gandhi (Ra), Shiva Sung (Mo), Mangal Pandey (Ne), Rana Pratap Singh (Wa), Boddhi Satwa (Ri), Bhagat Singh (De), Bahadur Shastri (Pa)
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404.
 
Re: HL2 vs. CS: Source
Nov 17, 2004, 12:57
Re: HL2 vs. CS: Source Nov 17, 2004, 12:57
Nov 17, 2004, 12:57
 
I still think there is hope.

I have little interest in CS. But remember the way Valve supported HL. First you had HL:DM, which was amazing. Then you got HL:DM Team play, which was amazing. Then you got TFC, which was amazing. Then you got DMC, which was amazing but little played. Then you got CS, which had been amazing but was significantly less amazing by the time it officially became part of HL.

So we have CS:S now. I find it hard to believe HL2DM isn't coming. And TF2... still holding some hope it will be a free addition to HL2.

One major reason HL did so well is that Valve kept adding MP value, keeping people interested long enough for mods to mature. They need to do that here. Otherwise people will get tired of CS:S and move to the next game, and mods will see this and collapse due to a lack of a user base. I still doubt we'll see many Doom 3 mods, mostly because no one cares about Doom 3 online play.

Valve needs to make sure we keep caring about HL2 online play.

403.
 
HL2 vs. CS: Source
Nov 17, 2004, 12:40
HL2 vs. CS: Source Nov 17, 2004, 12:40
Nov 17, 2004, 12:40
 
Half-life is WAY more scarier than Doom3. Doom3 is just a bunch of gimmicks. The only reason that game isn't on Ebay already is because I'm hoping someone will make a worthwhile mod out of it.

Half-life2 is going to be in my collection for years. The game simply rocks. It is absolutely incredible.

CS:Source is a piece of shit. What the fuck is up with these hunchback cartoon-ass bitchtards running around like they're popsicles with a 2x4 shoved up their asses? WTF??? And the gameplay is butt. You buy an autosniper & someone caps you with a pistol & they feel this is realism? A man with a pistol would not dare enter a room with a guy that has an automatic weapon. Some shotgunner guy was killing everyone. WTF! I knew that Valve wouldn't get this one right. Look, CS was fun because it followed the speed and fun of HalfLife itself. CS:Source is trying to be some kind of Rainbow6 bullshit. Make the game fun, don't make everything a kill shot. Shit, what a waste of a great game.

Oh well. Someone will make a good mod now because CS:Source sucks asshole & everyone will learn that fact. Just another "Boom-yer-dead" game. STUPID! At least in CS if you start getting hit you can react. Not in this game. If you see red, you're dead. Perhaps realistic, but STUPID! FUCK CS:SOURCE. AND FUCK STEAM! I just hope I never have to reinstall windows because with HL2 that process just became a whole fucking hour longer!!FUCK STEAM!!!!

402.
 
Re: What would be interesting is
Nov 17, 2004, 12:35
Re: What would be interesting is Nov 17, 2004, 12:35
Nov 17, 2004, 12:35
 
Bronco- I did everything yesterday "at the last second" the only issue I had was creating a steam account because the servers were busy. However, I played the game without a hitch in on-line mode. When I took a break from the game I noticed my steam account had been created.

Cliffs-
No real issues from a gamer who waited 'til the last second.

...
401.
 
Re: Got the story, USians?
Nov 17, 2004, 12:21
Re: Got the story, USians? Nov 17, 2004, 12:21
Nov 17, 2004, 12:21
 
My only gripe is that there seems to be some stuttering during gameplay

I have a AIW 9800 as well. Bring your texture detail from high to medium. That solved it for me.

You cannot make anything fool-proof. The fools are too inventive
You cannot make anything fool-proof. The fools are too inventive

GW: Tr Gandhi (Ra), Shiva Sung (Mo), Mangal Pandey (Ne), Rana Pratap Singh (Wa), Boddhi Satwa (Ri), Bhagat Singh (De), Bahadur Shastri (Pa)
Avatar 11944
400.
 
Re: Got the story, USians?
Nov 17, 2004, 12:11
Re: Got the story, USians? Nov 17, 2004, 12:11
Nov 17, 2004, 12:11
 
Ahhhh, only 390's. We didn't even break 400! Guess the 500 barrier won't be broken by this thread...

First impressions of the game, Single player is a lot of fun. And visually stunning. The immersion is very strong and the game is polished. My only gripe is that there seems to be some stuttering during gameplay, like textures are being loaded all the time, the game runs smoothly but if you move quickly from one area to the next and make sudden turns it stutters as if loading textues. Does this a lot for me, I'm only using a AIW 9800 pro which runs the game great but only have 128 mb of mem. that could be it. Also lots of loading between levels.

On the multiplayer side I have to say I don't understand their descision to make CS:S the only multiplayer option. This has nothing to do with the single player game and personally I find nothing here worth playing. (Never liked CS) I would really like to see some levels that are from the Half-life 2 Single player game and the weapons/characters in that side of the game. Counterstrike just doesn't fit as the multiplayer side of this game... It's great that they added CS for all the CS players but it should have come after Half-life 2 death match/capture the flag.

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