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Half-Life 2 Preloading from Steam

Nos. writes "For those of us using Valve Software's Steam platform, we can now begin 'preloading' Half-Life 2. The article explains that this will download an encrypted version of the game that you can unlock when you purchase it. They only say that purchase options will be available soon."

28 of 534 comments (clear)

  1. TFC2 by Redge · · Score: 4, Funny

    As long as the Sniper rifle still has the red dot, I'll be happy!

    1. Re:TFC2 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      My friend invented a hardware hack involving a CRT (doesnt go of lcds anymore) and a CDR marker :D

  2. Hrmmn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
    "You get Half-Life 2 yet?"

    "Yup!"

    "Boy, I can't wait til next year when we can play it"

  3. Torrent... by EvilCabbage · · Score: 3, Funny

    ... available in five, four, three, two....

  4. yay by Rotkiv · · Score: 5, Funny

    I felt my heart jump, just from the word soon. A tear came to my eye too, but that's because my eyes hurt from staring at a monitor too long.

    --
    RArr!
  5. finding the key by mikeymac · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now if i could only find that damn ati coupon thing, *looks at desk*, shakes head.

  6. The big internet blackout by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    So this will be the cause of the big internet blackout, not cyber-terrorist but gamers downloading HL2. :-D
    I knew it when Valve delayed the preload.

    1. Re:The big internet blackout by Associate · · Score: 2, Funny

      If you download HL2, the cyber-terrorists win.

      --
      Someone hates these cans.
  7. Boo friggin yah! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I just got it to start pre-loading despite failing during earlier attempts. I can't wait to start not playing it.

  8. Re:Bah, Steam by nuclear305 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Don't you mean STEAMing pile of poo?

  9. haha by josh+crawley · · Score: 4, Funny

    Maybe if they used that encryption before they wouldn't have got their source code stolen... ZING!

  10. Re:More Valve Bullshit. by ftgow · · Score: 5, Funny

    Word up dude. Valve makes one game 6 years ago, and now is somehow living (leeching) on the mod community for more content to their aging quake 1 engine. Fuck them, fuck them up their stupid asses.

  11. Torture by thebroken · · Score: 5, Funny

    Valve should get the war for The Game Company That Managed To Torture Its Fans By Having Code Stolen, More Release Dates Than Jerry Seinfeld Had GirlFriends, Leaked The Plot, And Gave You A Game You Could Download But Not Play Until They Let You Award. Wonder what the award would look like...probaly a figure of Duke Nukem.

  12. Anybody remember the Quake I shareware disc? by venomkid · · Score: 4, Funny

    Has anybody *ever* been gotten away with distributing encrypted files without somebody cracking it?

    It's like giving the entire geek world a good, hard puzzle with an irresistable payoff.

    --
    vk.
  13. Re:Just wait by techsoldaten · · Score: 5, Funny

    Already on it.

    I got the game to boot using a kernel debugger and a little trial and error. SoftICE revealed the installer makes a call to something in _vis.dll, which in turn checks to see if hl2_acf.nfo exists within the steam install directory.

    Decompiled _vis.dll with DisC, replaced the function call to a new function that always returns true. Recompiled _vis with Visual C++, nogo, then tried with Borland and the game booted.

    Posting a crack tonight.

    M

    ---
    Always read sigs for important words like syyyyke.

  14. New business model by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Selling vaporware to the consumer, sounds profitable.

  15. Re:Already flooded, but....... by chris_eineke · · Score: 1, Funny
    Good work Valve.
    Yeah, it's going down the pipeline.
    *Badadum-tshhh*

    Thank you, thank you, I'll be in the whole evening :D
    --
    "All you have to do is be fragile and grateful. So stay the underdog." Chuck Palahniuk, Choke
  16. Equivalency? by mcrbids · · Score: 4, Funny

    Is "Half-life 2" logically equivalent to "Full-life 1" ?

    --
    I have no problem with your religion until you decide it's reason to deprive others of the truth.
    1. Re:Equivalency? by sxtxixtxcxh · · Score: 2, Funny

      "full life" and slashdot membership are mutually exclusive.

      --
      for a minute there, i lost myself...
  17. You are a fucking idiot. by OwP_Fabricated · · Score: 4, Funny

    1. There's actually CS1.5 for Steam out there. Google is your friend.

    2. You no longer have to authenticate over the net to play Steam games anymore.

    3. You don't have to update any of your games if you don't want either. Right click on the game and turn off automatic updating.

    4. You are a fucking idiot, in case I forgot to mention it. Die.

    Sorry guys, it was worth the karma burn.

  18. So, vapor ware turns into... by chrullrich · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... steam ware. Not much change, is it?

  19. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 2, Funny

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  20. pre-loading by roalt · · Score: 4, Funny
    Hmmm, pre-loading...

    Will they do that for Duke-Nukem Forever also?

    1. Re:pre-loading by jahalme · · Score: 2, Funny

      Duke Nukem Forever _is_ available for preloading already! You can preload it from /dev/null and once the game is finished, they'll decrypt it with a xor one-time-pad, using the released game as the key.

  21. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 2, Funny

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  22. Re:Just wait by Oddly_Drac · · Score: 2, Funny

    "punk'd."

    MTV Entertainment would like to point out that the use of the brand 'punk'd(tm)' is in direct contravention of the trademark act, and we shall be sending round fourteen(14) lorry loads of Ashton Kucher merchandise to bury your sorry ass in.

    Have a nice day.

    MTV Entertainment.

    --
    Oddly Draconis
    Too cynical to live, too stubborn to die.
  23. Re:Don't bother trying by gl4ss · · Score: 2, Funny

    the main point however being that they're having trouble offering this service of pre-downloading.. wonder how they'd be able to handle when the real rush comes?

    on a plus side, maybe they actually think it's finished now instead of just feeding stuff from /dev/random to the people to reassure them and then after a month tell them that "sorry but we had to do major updates to the game because a hacker hacked it open and squirrels ate our homework".

    --
    world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  24. Re:Don't bother trying by AKnightCowboy · · Score: 2, Funny
    It's been pre-Slashdotted. You get an error saying their servers are already too busy doing preloads and to try again in a few hours.


    They should really find a better way to distribute these huge programs. Maybe they could press it to a CD and put it in a box at the store so we can just pick it up there instead of downloading it?