Half-Life is 10 years old. It's also 98 cents!

[GSZX1337]

I don't buy anything with DRM, so anything on Steam is right out. If I have to ask Valve for permission to play a game I own, it's not even worth $0.98.

Valve's implementation of DRm is the least intrusive you'll find in the industry today.

[Hatta]

Can I burn it to a CD, throw it in my laptop bag, forget about it, and expect to be able to play it in a year or two when I'm stranded in a motel in bumfuck nowhere, with no chance of getting an internet connection? That's what I would call non-intrusive.

I can pirate anything and expect that to work. Why pay for a deliberately broken copy?

[Niode]

It is necessary to validate every Steam game online before it can be launched, although an offline mode is available. There are no alternate methods of activation such as via telephone or fax, which causes the system to deny access to those without Internet connections. According to the Steam Subscriber Agreement, Steam's availability is not guaranteed and Valve is under no legal obligation to release an update disabling the authentication system in the event that Steam becomes permanently unavailable.[46]

Why on earth would I pay for that?

Erm... You've never been able to use any game that implements CD-Keys on more than one PC over the internet at the same time.

The Steam DRM is hardly DRM at all. It allows you to register ONE CD-Key to your Steam account, which unlocks the content on ONE Steam account. The beauty of Steam is that you can use that ONE Steam account anywhere... On any computer and play any game you own. The only thing it stops you doing is playing multiple copies of the same game simultaneously (AKA SOFTWARE PIRACY).

Valve have got the DRM on Steam EXACTLY right. It doesn't punish the user, it empowers them. It means that instead of keeping record of every single CD-Key for all your games (I have 20+ games on Steam now) you just have to remember ONE username and ONE password. You can take your games anywhere. Install them on as many machines as you want. After all, they are your games. Valve don't give a rat's ass what machine you play them on ONLY that you are the SOLE user of that account.

Who else give away guest passes for full retail games so that people can fulfill the old adage "try before you buy" that so many Pirates use an excuse for an illegal act.

Maybe you should try Steam before you slam it. The only time that Steam has ever been an issue for me was when I forgot my details on my old steam account that I had registered all my HL1&2 games on. It stopped me from registering the same keys again. (OBVIOUSLY). That's not Steam's fault. It's MY fault for forgetting MY details. I just tried extra hard to remember them and finally got back into my account. That's hardly an issue at all.

TRUST ME, the DRM in Steam is completely transparent and is completely flexible. It's not even that much of an issue to get CD-Keys transferred from account to account. There's an entire section of the Q&A dedicated to that exact task. I mean it's not 100% straight forward, but Valva have to be stringent to stop people abusing the support feature. I don't see anything wrong with that.

EA's DRM on the other hand is punishing the user and isn't transparent. Limited installs is disgusting, especially on Windows PCs which are prone to hard/software faults. (before anyone starts with, "I never have any problems with my PC", I KNOW that, but it still happens.). This kind of DRM is disgusting and potentially harmful to the end-user. It's also invasive, no user should ever be forced to tell ANY software vendor how THEY use their product. (aside from blatent piracy but let's not turn this into a DRM vs Pirates topic)

Anyone moaning about Steam or 98c for Half Life and the hundreds of hours of content it unlocks is an absolute gibbering idiot. Even if you don't like FPS there's plenty of games that are based on HL that aren't FPS. If you don't like FPS and have never played Half Life then I suggest you play it anyway. You might not like FPS because you've never played a good[/b] one!

Buy it you fools! It is the single greatest value for money game you will have ever bought in your life.

Besides Valve should be supported. Their games and service is the poster boy for the online distribution model. If we support them more and more publishers will release their games through Steam. Hopefully someday Steam will become THE online gaming portal. It will do what Xbox Live has done for the Xbox. It will revolutionise the way we purchase games and how we play those games together.

Can I burn it to a CD, throw it in my laptop bag, forget about it, and expect to be able to play it in a year or two when I'm stranded in a motel in bumfuck nowhere, with no chance of getting an internet connection? That's what I would call non-intrusive.

I can pirate anything and expect that to work. Why pay for a deliberately broken copy?

Steam has an Offline mode.

Any more 'arguments'?

[Hatta]

Erm... You've never been able to use any game that implements CD-Keys on more than one PC over the internet at the same time.

That's not what I want to do. I want to be able to burn a CD, forget about it, install it on my laptop, which gets wiped regularly, and be able to play the game I own without having to find an internet connection. Limiting multiplayer to one seat per license is a reasonable restriction.

The only thing it stops you doing is playing multiple copies of the same game simultaneously

It also stops you from playing a game you installed on a computer without an internet connection.

Steam has an Offline mode.

It still requires you to log in to Steam at least once to activate your copy. That's not a problem with CD keys.

I loved Half-life back in the day, when all you needed to play was a CD key. If they wanted to sell it to me again under those same terms, I'd be fine with that. I was looking forward to HL2, but since they implemented this Steam garbage, I'm not going to play it. Not even going to bother pirating it when there are plenty of other games that will let me play without asking anyone for permission.

Good Old Games has it right. No DRM at all. Stardock came close until that Impulse crapware. My time is limited, and there are thousands of good games to play. If Valve doesn't want to sell to me under acceptable terms, I'll play something else. It's their loss, not mine.

[Funk, E]

I..just don't get it. Steam is a fantastic service, and it's not like The Internet is locked up in some cabinet somewhere. Steam's even got it set up so that, if, say I lose all my discs and computer in a fire, I can just relog in with my new comp and get everything back. Hell, once Steam Cloud comes out, I won't even have lost my savegames.

[Niode]

Erm... You've never been able to use any game that implements CD-Keys on more than one PC over the internet at the same time.

That's not what I want to do. I want to be able to burn a CD, forget about it, install it on my laptop, which gets wiped regularly, and be able to play the game I own without having to find an internet connection. Limiting multiplayer to one seat per license is a reasonable restriction.

The only thing it stops you doing is playing multiple copies of the same game simultaneously

It also stops you from playing a game you installed on a computer without an internet connection.

Steam has an Offline mode.

It still requires you to log in to Steam at least once to activate your copy. That's not a problem with CD keys.

I loved Half-life back in the day, when all you needed to play was a CD key. If they wanted to sell it to me again under those same terms, I'd be fine with that. I was looking forward to HL2, but since they implemented this Steam garbage, I'm not going to play it. Not even going to bother pirating it when there are plenty of other games that will let me play without asking anyone for permission.

Good Old Games has it right. No DRM at all. Stardock came close until that Impulse crapware. My time is limited, and there are thousands of good games to play. If Valve doesn't want to sell to me under acceptable terms, I'll play something else. It's their loss, not mine.

Do you live in the 1970s or something?

EVERYWHERE has access to the internet. Hell you can tether most mobile phones and connect through GPRS... You are just creating hypothetical reasons not to buy this exceptional game. Well whatever. If you are unwilling to buy the game I can't force you to but just making up reasons not to buy because you want to pirate it is silly.

You do realise you can just backup your Steam directory on a flash stick or something. You don't even have to bother burning a CD-R. All it would require is a quick 5 minute internet connection to activate the game. Or y'know you could just keep steam installed on your computer. When you wipe it, just re-install steam. You don't even have to bother installing anything, Steam will do it for you. If you keep a backup of your Steam directory then all you would need to do after formatting your laptop would download Steam, log in. Tell it where your steam directory is. Or just copy all the files to the new directory Steam makes.

There's your solution. I KNOW this works, because this is the system I use. Screw downloading/installing all my games whenever I change/format my PCs. I don't have the time.

[Mozgus]

It is necessary to validate every Steam game online before it can be launched, although an offline mode is available. There are no alternate methods of activation such as via telephone or fax, which causes the system to deny access to those without Internet connections. According to the Steam Subscriber Agreement, Steam's availability is not guaranteed and Valve is under no legal obligation to release an update disabling the authentication system in the event that Steam becomes permanently unavailable.[46]

Why on earth would I pay for that?

You are so fucking stupid. Just go away. I hate DRM as much as the next guy, but Steam is the friendliest form of DRM I've ever come across. It doesn't limit me. It actually enhances the experience in a few ways.

Anyway, I wanted to buy like 10 copies for myself to just hand out to people locally but I guess that's not an option. So as a 2nd option, I'm willing to hand out copies to the first 5 people who ask for them in this thread. I just ask that you promise to actually make use of it, and that you're active around the forum already. I guess this is good for people who dont have credit cards. Just know that obviously you need to make a Steam account.

[philipofmacedon]

I have to say, for 98 cents, all my qualms about Steam and DRM are forgotten. Yeah, I'd rather have a real physical copy, but seriously, what else can you get for less than a buck? I spent more on a pack of Trident the other day. And to think, I almost spent 96 cents on Tabula Rasa the other day.

If you need a more pragmatic reason then think about the time having a legit copy can save you. I don't know how much time I've wasted with a version I got from UG trying to get the music to work. To have my problems solved for this price it's a no brainer.

Mozgus, I feel a bit bad, seeing as you've already done one nice thing for me in the last hour, but if you're just giving copies away, I promise to use it. My steam ID is surprisingly - Philipofmacedon. If there's a big rush on this don't worry about it, I can just tighten my belt and take the plunge myself.


P.S. The MSRP of the Orange Box just dropped the other day. Now it's only 30.00, and Amazon is selling it for 27.99. That's less than 6 bucks a game! The console versions are only 20 bucks, but I'd still go for the PC version and be able to play Source mods. At these prices it just seems worth it to go legit.

[Mozgus]

I have to say, for 98 cents, all my qualms about Steam and DRM are forgotten. Yeah, I'd rather have a real physical copy, but seriously, what else can you get for less than a buck? I spent more on a pack of Trident the other day. And to think, I almost spent 96 cents on Tabula Rasa the other day.

If you need a more pragmatic reason then think about the time having a legit copy can save you. I don't know how much time I've wasted with a version I got from UG trying to get the music to work. To have my problems solved for this price it's a no brainer.

Mozgus, I feel a bit bad, seeing as you've already done one nice thing for me in the last hour, but if you're just giving copies away, I promise to use it. My steam ID is surprisingly - Philipofmacedon. If there's a big rush on this don't worry about it, I can just tighten my belt and take the plunge myself.


P.S. The MSRP of the Orange Box just dropped the other day. Now it's only 30.00, and Amazon is selling it for 27.99. That's less than 6 bucks a game! The console versions are only 20 bucks, but I'd still go for the PC version and be able to play Source mods. At these prices it just seems worth it to go legit.

Added you on Steam. I'll buy it for you when you accept it. Also, to get the music to work, you either need the retail HL1 CD from ways back, or you need to simply install the MP3 pack for the game. It places the songs in a directory where the Steam is programmed to pick them up in place of the CDDA music. Stupid how Valve doesn't just include this by default, I know.

Edit: Scratch that, the game's GCF file contains all 27 music tracks now. I hadn't checked in a couple years so maybe they updated it. Unfortunately they're at 22khz and 48kbps, so not nearly as nice as the retail CD would sound.

[Niode]

Edit: Scratch that, the game's GCF file contains all 27 music tracks now. I hadn't checked in a couple years so maybe they updated it. Unfortunately they're at 22khz and 48kbps, so not nearly as nice as the retail CD would sound.

I did not know that. I might have to hunt my Half Life retail CD down...