Thankyou Valve

Rob

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I'm probably the only guy in the world who hasn't finished Halflife, after
getting stuck on the alien world level. After finishing HL2 I decided to
reinstall HL and try again but imagine my horror when I found a huge scratch
on the CD. No dramas at all, just enter the CDkey into steam, a quick 7
minute download and I'm taking a tram ride :)

Cheers Valve, now *thats* service
 
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On Sun, 4 Sep 2005 23:43:35 +1200, "rob" <roball@xtra.co.nz> wrote:

>I'm probably the only guy in the world who hasn't finished Halflife, after
>getting stuck on the alien world level. After finishing HL2 I decided to
>reinstall HL and try again but imagine my horror when I found a huge scratch
>on the CD.

There are tools that can fix that (e.g. GameDoctor), provided that it
doesn't penetrate the data layer. But anyway...
 
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rob wrote:
> I'm probably the only guy in the world who hasn't finished Halflife, after
> getting stuck on the alien world level. After finishing HL2 I decided to
> reinstall HL and try again but imagine my horror when I found a huge scratch
> on the CD. No dramas at all, just enter the CDkey into steam, a quick 7
> minute download and I'm taking a tram ride :)
>
> Cheers Valve, now *thats* service

Better hope steamKILLER doesn't notice this thread...
 
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Raymond Martineau wrote:

> There are tools that can fix that (e.g. GameDoctor), provided that it
> doesn't penetrate the data layer. But anyway...

Data layer penetration is a gamers worst nightmare.
 
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rob wrote:

<snip>

i recognize steam was good for you in this specific situation
but how about the others?
do you think you are the only one buying and playing pc games?
until valve released steam neither broadband or even internet
connection was requirement to play a single player pc game but
now they are making it MANDATORY
why? is there any real reason for it?
no there isn't
internet connection is not like a good graphic card or more
memory that can improve the actual gameplay
valve made internet connection mandatory to apply a system to
give them more power and with power comes more profits

steam should always be an option not a requirement to play pc
games

valve with steam is EXCLUDING pc gamers without broadband or
internet connection
you had your life much easier cause of steam but other gamers
have their life much difficult cause of steam

other pc gamers are being EXCLUDED cause of steam
other pc gamers are being left out cause of steam
other pc gamers are having problems with steam

so stop being selfish!
so stop being self-centered!
so stop looking only for yourselves!

steam yes but only for those that choose it
let pc gamers choose it
you choose it fine
but give the possibility to other do the same
let pc gamers choose!
and valve is not letting that happen
many don't have steam system requirements and valve is not
letting them have any alternative
valve is not letting you choose
you are forced to accept steam
and that is wrong! wrong! wrong!

--
post made in a steam-free computer
i said "NO" to valve and steam
 
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On 5 Sep 2005 00:39:39 -0700, "steamKILLER" <sayNO2steam@yahoo.com>
wrote:

>steam should always be an option not a requirement to play pc
>games

You don't like it, don't buy it. There is no "requirement" to play
a Steam game.

>you had your life much easier cause of steam but other gamers
>have their life much difficult cause of steam
>
>other pc gamers are being EXCLUDED cause of steam

Valve is under no obligation to support anyone they don't choose to
support. If they don't want those customers, it is their choice.

Try running Battlefield 2 on a GeForce Ti4400 and you'll come right
up against another exclusion; it won't even load despite the card
being able to run a brand new game like Fable or Advent Rising.
 
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<flightlessvacuum@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1125905757.127005.269970@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> Raymond Martineau wrote:
>
>> There are tools that can fix that (e.g. GameDoctor), provided that it
>> doesn't penetrate the data layer. But anyway...
>
> Data layer penetration is a gamers worst nightmare.
>

And a DVD collector... I've had to buy a few games twice because of this,
and Quake three times. CD's/DVD's are not quite indesdtructable!
McG.
 
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"steamKILLER" <sayNO2steam@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1125905979.661747.27560@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> x-no-archive: yes
>
> rob wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
> i recognize steam was good for you in this specific situation
> but how about the others?
> do you think you are the only one buying and playing pc games?
> until valve released steam neither broadband or even internet
> connection was requirement to play a single player pc game but
> now they are making it MANDATORY
> why? is there any real reason for it?
> no there isn't

Product and installation validation. The game, once validated, can be
played offline. Permanently. No further updates.
McG.

> internet connection is not like a good graphic card or more
> memory that can improve the actual gameplay
> valve made internet connection mandatory to apply a system to
> give them more power and with power comes more profits
>
> steam should always be an option not a requirement to play pc
> games
>
> valve with steam is EXCLUDING pc gamers without broadband or
> internet connection
> you had your life much easier cause of steam but other gamers
> have their life much difficult cause of steam
>
> other pc gamers are being EXCLUDED cause of steam
> other pc gamers are being left out cause of steam
> other pc gamers are having problems with steam
>
> so stop being selfish!
> so stop being self-centered!
> so stop looking only for yourselves!
>
> steam yes but only for those that choose it
> let pc gamers choose it
> you choose it fine
> but give the possibility to other do the same
> let pc gamers choose!
> and valve is not letting that happen
> many don't have steam system requirements and valve is not
> letting them have any alternative
> valve is not letting you choose
> you are forced to accept steam
> and that is wrong! wrong! wrong!
>
> --
> post made in a steam-free computer
> i said "NO" to valve and steam
>
 
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In article <F5BSe.8601$iM2.833613@news.xtra.co.nz>, rob wrote:
> I'm probably the only guy in the world who hasn't finished Halflife, after
> getting stuck on the alien world level. After finishing HL2 I decided to
> reinstall HL and try again but imagine my horror when I found a huge scratch
> on the CD. No dramas at all, just enter the CDkey into steam, a quick 7
> minute download and I'm taking a tram ride :)
>
> Cheers Valve, now *thats* service

I take it you had to rebuy the game?

Or did your old HL1 CD key get you a free HL1 Steam version?

Smid
 

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"Smid" <smidllllllNichSpammo.removelstoo@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:slrndhoiul.3us.smidllllllNichSpammo.removelstoo@dominique-derval.ftel.co.uk...
> In article <F5BSe.8601$iM2.833613@news.xtra.co.nz>, rob wrote:
>> I'm probably the only guy in the world who hasn't finished Halflife,
>> after
>> getting stuck on the alien world level. After finishing HL2 I decided to
>> reinstall HL and try again but imagine my horror when I found a huge
>> scratch
>> on the CD. No dramas at all, just enter the CDkey into steam, a quick 7
>> minute download and I'm taking a tram ride :)
>>
>> Cheers Valve, now *thats* service
>
> I take it you had to rebuy the game?
>
> Or did your old HL1 CD key get you a free HL1 Steam version?
>
> Smid
>

No further purchase necessary. The CD key from his old (scratched) game is
proof of purchase so Valve will then let him download that game as many
times as he likes for free. What do you mean by Steam version? Yes it runs
through Steam/no it isn't HL: Source. It's the original game (plus the
higher rez patch now also freely available through Steam).
 
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"steamKILLER" <sayNO2steam@yahoo.com> wrote in
news:1125905979.661747.27560@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

> x-no-archive: yes
>
> rob wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
> i recognize steam was good for you in this specific situation
> but how about the others?
> do you think you are the only one buying and playing pc games?
> until valve released steam neither broadband or even internet
> connection was requirement to play a single player pc game but
> now they are making it MANDATORY
> why? is there any real reason for it?
> no there isn't
> internet connection is not like a good graphic card or more
> memory that can improve the actual gameplay
> valve made internet connection mandatory to apply a system to
> give them more power and with power comes more profits
>
> steam should always be an option not a requirement to play pc
> games
>
> valve with steam is EXCLUDING pc gamers without broadband or
> internet connection
> you had your life much easier cause of steam but other gamers
> have their life much difficult cause of steam
>
> other pc gamers are being EXCLUDED cause of steam
> other pc gamers are being left out cause of steam
> other pc gamers are having problems with steam
>
> so stop being selfish!
> so stop being self-centered!
> so stop looking only for yourselves!
>
> steam yes but only for those that choose it
> let pc gamers choose it
> you choose it fine
> but give the possibility to other do the same
> let pc gamers choose!
> and valve is not letting that happen
> many don't have steam system requirements and valve is not
> letting them have any alternative
> valve is not letting you choose
> you are forced to accept steam
> and that is wrong! wrong! wrong!
>


Hook Line and Sinker!!!!
 
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On Mon, 05 Sep 2005 11:27:28 GMT, "McGrandpa"
<McGrandpaNOT@NOThotmail.com> wrote:

>
>s****k***** wrote in message
>news:1125905979.661747.27560@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>> rob wrote:
>>
>> <snip>
>>
>> i recognize steam was good for you in this specific situation
>> but how about the others?
>> do you think you are the only one buying and playing pc games?
>> until valve released steam neither broadband or even internet
>> connection was requirement to play a single player pc game but
>> now they are making it MANDATORY
>> why? is there any real reason for it?
>> no there isn't
>
>Product and installation validation. The game, once validated, can be
>played offline. Permanently. No further updates.
>McG.

Try advancing your computer clock 1 year in off-line mode. Seems as if
Valve has sneaked some sort of time-limit back in with one of their
Steam "updates". Dangling on Valve's umbilical cord is such a
wonderful single-play experience....

John Lewis
- Technology early-birds are flying guinea-pigs.
 
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"KCB" <kcbaird@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:RbydnTXa4aqBBYHeRVn-rg@comcast.com...
>
> "John Lewis" <john.dsl@verizon.net> wrote in message
> news:431c8ad3.2013774@news.verizon.net...
>> On Mon, 05 Sep 2005 11:27:28 GMT, "McGrandpa"
>> <McGrandpaNOT@NOThotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>s****k***** wrote in message
>>>news:1125905979.661747.27560@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>>>> rob wrote:
>>>>
>>>> <snip>
>>>>
>>>> i recognize steam was good for you in this specific situation
>>>> but how about the others?
>>>> do you think you are the only one buying and playing pc games?
>>>> until valve released steam neither broadband or even internet
>>>> connection was requirement to play a single player pc game but
>>>> now they are making it MANDATORY
>>>> why? is there any real reason for it?
>>>> no there isn't
>>>
>>>Product and installation validation. The game, once validated, can be
>>>played offline. Permanently. No further updates.
>>>McG.
>>
>> Try advancing your computer clock 1 year in off-line mode. Seems as if
>> Valve has sneaked some sort of time-limit back in with one of their
>> Steam "updates". Dangling on Valve's umbilical cord is such a
>> wonderful single-play experience....
>
> It's not a time limit forced by Valve, the server can't validate you
> simply because YOUR TIME STAMP IS SO FU*KED. Ever try to get Windows
> Updates with your clock set a year ahead? OMG, it must mean that
> Microsoft has sneaked some sort of time limit in with one of their Windows
> "updates".
> It DOES mean that, right John?
>>
>> John Lewis
>> - Technology early-birds are flying guinea-pigs.
>
With someone who only wants the single player game, maybe doesn't have
internet access (took machine to Moms house to use the cable to validate,
lets say), they should never have to need their clock straight FOR any
server.
McG.
 
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Johnny Bravo wrote:

> You don't like it, don't buy it. There is no "requirement"
> to play a Steam game.

yes there is
you are FORCED to use steam if you buy half-life 2 retail!
you are FORCED to use a internet technology when buying a
retail game!
that is NOT admissible!
steam is an internet technology which has no place in the
retail channel
if valve only wants to sell its games by the net then do it
only via steam but if it wants to sell its games in retail
then do it WITHOUT steam and in a PROPER way
we want a PROPER retail version STEAM FREE of half-life 2!
i've been telling this since the beginning
steam has no place in retail
steam in retail is DECEIVING and DAMAGING costumers
we demand steam being out of the retail channel

germany authorities even declared half-life 2 retail package
illegal and against consumer rights
vivendi left valve and stoped publishing there game in retail
cause of steam being infecting the retail market
all are saying the same!
steam has no place in retail!
we want steam out of retail!

> Valve is under no obligation to support anyone they don't
> choose to support. If they don't want those customers, it
> is their choice.

that's the only thing you steam fanatics know how to reply
"valve can choose how to sell its products"
can't you do any better?
is that the best you can do?
stop that LOUSY EXCUSE! stop it!
if its to write this don't write at all cause it a complete
waste! WORTHLESS WASTE mister bravo!

> Try running Battlefield 2 on a GeForce Ti4400 and you'll
> come right up against another exclusion; it won't even load

wrong mister bravo!
wrong! wrong! wrong!
what did i told you!!!!
i told you a better graphic card and more memory are totally
acceptable system requirements cause they improve gameplay
cause they make the game BETTER!
cause they make the game experience much better for us!
you need a powerful hardware to run demanding software and
we know that is true and we accept this
a better graphic card makes playing the game better for the
gamer but internet connection is only there to favour valve!
internet connection in a SINGLE-PLAYER game is a requirement
so valve can IMPOSE a system like steam in pc games so they
can have more control and with more control comes more money
and don't even try to deny this
internet connection required in a single player game is all
motivated by money not by more quality to us pc gamers
you can say valve has all the right to do it but don't even
imply internet connection for a SINGLE-PLAYER game is a
requirement for us pc gamers
does doom3 have this requirement? NO!
does farcry have this requirement? NO!
does riddick have this requirement? NO!
does painkiller have this requirement? NO!
does even battlefield 2 which is a multiplayer game have
this requirement? NO! NO! NO!
none of them have this requirement!
so why only valve games have this requirement?
so why is valve games any different?
cause its there to FAVOUR valve and not to benefit the game
itself or us pc gamers!

ITS A DAMN HYPOCRISY SAYING INTERNET CONNECTION FOR A SINGLE
PLAYER GAME IS A REAL REQUIREMENT!
HYPOCRISY!
HYPOCRITE YOU ARE MISTER BRAVO!

--
post made in a steam-free computer
i said "NO" to valve and steam
 
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On Mon, 05 Sep 2005 11:27:28 GMT, "McGrandpa"
<McGrandpaNOT@NOThotmail.com> wrote:

>Product and installation validation. The game, once validated, can be
>played offline. Permanently.

In theory. Both times I actually needed to use Half-life 2 offline
mode, it failed to work due to (intentional/unintentional?) bugs in
the Steam offline system.

Then of course there is the case if you need to re-install the game,
like when upgrading your OS, or re-installing Windows (that happens
time to time when Windows gets cluttered).
 
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On Tue, 5 Sep 2006 15:10:20 -0400, "KCB" <kcbaird@comcast.net> wrote:

>It's not a time limit forced by Valve, the server can't validate you simply
>because YOUR TIME STAMP IS SO FU*KED.

Errr, why should the update system care what your "time stamp" is? It
checks for version numbers, not time stamps, RIGHT?

I can update System Shock 2 offline, no matter what my system clock is
saying. The wonders of modern technology!
 
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"Shawk" <shawk@clara.co.uk.3guesses> wrote in message > It's the original
game (plus the
> higher rez patch now also freely available through Steam).

Regarding that patch, do you have to do anything to enable it other than
download it? I d/led it and loaded up a HL:Source savegame but it looked
exactly the same.
 
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One Punch Mickey thought about it a bit, then said...
>
> "Shawk" <shawk@clara.co.uk.3guesses> wrote in message > It's the original
> game (plus the
> > higher rez patch now also freely available through Steam).
>
> Regarding that patch, do you have to do anything to enable it other than
> download it? I d/led it and loaded up a HL:Source savegame but it looked
> exactly the same.

It only works with the original HL, BS, and OF games. HL:Source does not
use the high-def pack (ironic, isn't it? ;-)

--
Kevin Steele
RetroBlast! Retrogaming News and Reviews
www.retroblast.com
 
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In article <1125929245.27836.0@damia.uk.clara.net>, Shawk wrote:
>
> "Smid" <smidllllllNichSpammo.removelstoo@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:slrndhoiul.3us.smidllllllNichSpammo.removelstoo@dominique-derval.ftel.co.uk...
>> In article <F5BSe.8601$iM2.833613@news.xtra.co.nz>, rob wrote:
>>> I'm probably the only guy in the world who hasn't finished Halflife,
>>> after
>>> getting stuck on the alien world level. After finishing HL2 I decided to
>>> reinstall HL and try again but imagine my horror when I found a huge
>>> scratch
>>> on the CD. No dramas at all, just enter the CDkey into steam, a quick 7
>>> minute download and I'm taking a tram ride :)
>>>
>>> Cheers Valve, now *thats* service
>>
>> I take it you had to rebuy the game?
>>
>> Or did your old HL1 CD key get you a free HL1 Steam version?
>
> No further purchase necessary. The CD key from his old (scratched) game is
> proof of purchase so Valve will then let him download that game as many
> times as he likes for free. What do you mean by Steam version? Yes it runs
> through Steam/no it isn't HL: Source. It's the original game (plus the
> higher rez patch now also freely available through Steam).

Ah yeah, I meant HL: Source. Ah well, I've played HL enough times anyway,
I should go back and do System Shock 2 instead...

Smid
 

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"One Punch Mickey" <fantantiddlyspan@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Q0cTe.12940$R5.958@news.indigo.ie...
>
> "Shawk" <shawk@clara.co.uk.3guesses> wrote in message > It's the original
> game (plus the
>> higher rez patch now also freely available through Steam).
>
> Regarding that patch, do you have to do anything to enable it other than
> download it? I d/led it and loaded up a HL:Source savegame but it looked
> exactly the same.
>

I dont have the Source version - sorry. Dont know if it applies to or works
with that. Just as an experiment have you tried starting a new game rather
than a save-game? The forums at Steampowered might be the place to look if
no-one can answer that here.

It works fine with the original HL, OpFor & BS - after clicking on the
higher rez link and then starting a game from Steam it downloads everything
it needs and updates.
 
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"riku" <riku@none.invalid.com> wrote in message
news:jvfqh1tflhjkrcje6rbf34p39or87kmrcc@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 05 Sep 2005 11:27:28 GMT, "McGrandpa"
> <McGrandpaNOT@NOThotmail.com> wrote:
>
>>Product and installation validation. The game, once validated, can be
>>played offline. Permanently.
>
> In theory. Both times I actually needed to use Half-life 2 offline
> mode, it failed to work due to (intentional/unintentional?) bugs in
> the Steam offline system.
>
> Then of course there is the case if you need to re-install the game,
> like when upgrading your OS, or re-installing Windows (that happens
> time to time when Windows gets cluttered).
>
Though a little beside the point, I just built a new system and moved the
complete Steam collection over to the new drive. No re-installing that
although the opsys is a fresh install. After I moved the folder, I simply
deleted the ClientRegistry.blob file in the new location, then doubleclick
the Steam.exe file, log into Steam and in a few seconds it's done. Whole
process was around 20 minutes on my LAN. 11.9 gigs total.
Of course, I don't know if I can play any of the games offline. After I
moved it all then logged in, I found that all the games were 100% and ready
for offline mode. And had defaulted to "do not update these files". I ran
HL2 with the LAN turned off, but not all the rest of the collection. Some
of them, the multiplayer games, you'd expect would default to automatically
keep up to date and not want to play in offline mode. Didn't try them
though.
That it didn't work in offline mode dependably for someone is a problem.
McG.
 
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On Tue, 6 Sep 2005, One Punch Mickey wrote:

"Shawk" <shawk@clara.co.uk.3guesses> wrote in message > It's the original
> game (plus the
> > higher rez patch now also freely available through Steam).
>
> Regarding that patch, do you have to do anything to enable it other than
> download it? I d/led it and loaded up a HL:Source savegame but it looked
> exactly the same.

Sorry, but we are not talking about HL:Source here, but the original HL.
HL:Source was one huge dissappointment anyway as neither HL Uplink nor the
great models from HL2 were incooperated. But there is a mod project going
on to rebuild HL in HL2 which will be probably much better than HL:Source.

P.S.: It recently occurred to me that with their back-catalog Valve kills
the HL second-hand market similar as they do it with Steam for HL2 :(...

--
Werner Spahl (spahl@cup.uni-muenchen.de) Freedom for
"The meaning of my life is to make me crazy" Vorlonships
 

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On Tue, 06 Sep 2005 10:05:44 GMT, "McGrandpa"
<McGrandpaNOT@NOThotmail.com> wrote:

>Though a little beside the point, I just built a new system and moved the
>complete Steam collection over to the new drive. No re-installing that
>although the opsys is a fresh install. After I moved the folder, I simply
>deleted the ClientRegistry.blob file in the new location, then doubleclick
>the Steam.exe file, log into Steam and in a few seconds it's done. Whole
>process was around 20 minutes on my LAN. 11.9 gigs total.
>Of course, I don't know if I can play any of the games offline.

Of course you can't just move it and play it offline immediately,
otherwise it would be the easiest thing in the world to pirate.
--
Andrew, contact via interpleb.blogspot.com
Help make Usenet a better place: English is read downwards,
please don't top post. Trim replies to quote only relevant text.
Check groups.google.com before asking an obvious question.
 
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Thusly Werner Spahl <spahl@cup.uni-muenchen.de> Spake Unto All:

>P.S.: It recently occurred to me that with their back-catalog Valve kills
>the HL second-hand market similar as they do it with Steam for HL2 :(...

Or, put another way, one can put a negative spin on absolutely
everything.
 
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On Tue, 6 Sep 2005, Mean_Chlorine wrote:

> Thusly Werner Spahl <spahl@cup.uni-muenchen.de> Spake Unto All:
>
> >P.S.: It recently occurred to me that with their back-catalog Valve kills
> >the HL second-hand market similar as they do it with Steam for HL2 :(...
>
> Or, put another way, one can put a negative spin on absolutely
> everything.

Well I bought my original HL second hand from a friend and I do buy second
hand games occasionally. So there...

--
Werner Spahl (spahl@cup.uni-muenchen.de) Freedom for
"The meaning of my life is to make me crazy" Vorlonships