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HL2 Packages Available on Steam

Posted by Zonk on from the good-morning-mr.-freedman dept.

aWalrus writes "The long wait for Half Life 2 and bundled games through Valve's online distribution system, Steam, ends today. Steam news reports that Half life 2 packages will be available at 11 am PST. With HL2 still trapped in publisher approval limbo, these packages don't have the game yet (available upon products' release), but they do have Counter Strike:Source. This could be a good bargaining chip for Valve and a boost to Steam distribution."

72 comments

  1. Source? by byolinux · · Score: 2, Funny

    Nothing for you to see here. Move along

    Oh. Okay.

    Anyway... does this mean they're making the source to Counter Strike available? I had a quick look at the site, but it's not clear to a non-gamer.

    I'm assuming it's a product called Source... I wouldn't mind a Half-Life 2 hat though.

    --
    Join the Free Software Foundation
    1. Re:Source? by Lazyhound · · Score: 1

      Source is the name of the game engine.

    2. Re:Source? by aWalrus · · Score: 3, Informative

      Source is the name of the new game engine (graphics+physics). Counter Strike Source is the old Counter Strike implemented on the new engine with better models, physics and textures. It's quite a big deal for CS fans.

      AFAIK, Valve is making the usual stuff available for modders, but that does not include source code to the whole engine.

      --
      Overcaffeinated. Angry geeks.
    3. Re:Source? by sgant · · Score: 0, Redundant

      No, it's using the "Source" engine.

      bascally Counterstrike bought up to better graphics and physics model...but same gameplay.

      So you pay today...get CS: Source right now to play and then HL2 when it comes out.

      If you're getting HL2 for multiplayer anyway, CS:Source is the only one available at the moment...but others will come along later.

      It's not a bad deal really, but of course there will be coming out of the woodworks saying "Valve lied to us! That sucks! I'm not buying that! blah blah blah".

      It comes down to if you want to play it, buy it and fricken play it. If not, STFU already.

      --

      "Leo Fender was in a 'state of grace' when he designed the Stratocaster." -- Paul Reed Smith
    4. Re:Source? by Leffe · · Score: 1

      AFAIK, Valve is making the usual stuff available for modders, but that does not include source code to the whole engine.

      Well, considering that the HL SDK had basically no limitations, and that Valve has said that the new SDK will have even less limitations... I don't think it matters :)

    5. Re:Source? by tolan-b · · Score: 1

      No need! They already made the source to the whole game public!

    6. Re:Source? by Pxtl · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I'm actually very frustrated at the name selection. It has made googling within the source-port community nearly impossible beause of all the Half Life coverage. For example, I was trying to find out what Quake 1 source ports (such as tenebrae et al) suported Team Fortress mod. Very difficult to find out now with the "Source engine" muddling up Google.

    7. Re:Source? by thebagel · · Score: 1

      It was a JOKE. A funny.

      Jeez, don't you people have senses of humor?

      But on a more serious note, isn't Source the HL2 engine? Or is that just a rumor?

  2. Some facts by Henry+V+.009 · · Score: 1, Informative

    This is an opportunity to buy the package now. All you get at the moment is CS:Source. You have to wait for HL2 to come out to get that (even though it is already sitting encrypted on your hard drive.)

  3. what a mess... by fireduck · · Score: 3, Informative

    lemme see if i've got this straight,

    back in the day Valve signs with Sierra and agrees to certain things, namely Sierra as distributor and giving Sierra some intellectual property stake in the game. Couple years later, Valve then plays hardball with Sierra and gets the IP back (so now they can make HL action figures and rake in the bucks like Lucas), but they are still under contract to produce games, however they can now distribute some stuff online. At some point Vivendi buys Sierra, and begins distributing games to cyber cafe without compensating Valve. Valve sues, then gets counter sued by Vivendi/Sierra claiming they lied about Steam and its capabilities.

    So, what I can't figure out is whatever happened to powerplay?

    Actually, given how much of a nonstarter powerplay was, I'd imagine if I were Valve, I'd downplay my plans with Steam as well. As much as I love the game, the company doesn't really have much of a track record with anything not directly related to HL...

    1. Re:what a mess... by mconeone · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Powerplay died awhile back, it was too broad of a scope with little actual substance to back up its claims.

      Steam on the other hand, is an immediate benefit to Valve. At $50+ a pop, with millions of counter-strike players worldwide, Valve is looking at a huge profit. Its been proven to be able to sell games (condition zero) as well as handle a hot new release (cs:source beta).

      Unless they lose the countersuit from Vivendi, the sky's the limit!

    2. Re:what a mess... by NotAnotherReboot · · Score: 1

      PowerPlay was more likely than not a set of standards for dialup companies to ahdhere to. It's possible that they also had some kind of new protocol for games that would improve problems with latency for low bandwidth connections.

      The technology obviously got leapfrogged. Nearly every serious gamer has broadband these days and it has been like that for 2-3 years now.

  4. Valve/VUG Court Date Tomorrow by dendyjm · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I find it interesting that another hearing is set for tomorrow (Oct. 8), and Valve opened up HL2 orders on Steam the day before. Surely, this was some sort of legal maneuver...

  5. I am sooo sick of their "releases"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    wake me up when I can _finally_ play Half-Life 2.

    Today is another non-launch day for HL2 and I wish they would stop non-releasing it over and over again

    Grrrrr,

    Tels (who is remined of Alice in the Wonderland and her non-birthday...)

  6. Online Gamers. by JavaLord · · Score: 2, Interesting

    As a person who only plays FPS games online, I wonder since Half Life 2 isn't going to have multiplayer, and CS source is basically CS with a very souped up graphical and physics engine, why would I pay for this? Maybe it's because I played the CS Source beta and was unimpressed. The original CS with all the mods available is much more enjoyable to play now, HL2 will be interesting for me when CS 2 comes out.

    1. Re:Online Gamers. by fluxrad · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You'll pay for it because the package is CS:Source now and also HL2 when it comes out. I certainly agree with you that I probably wouldn't shell out $50 just for CS:S alone. But this will get you both.

      --
      "It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once." -David Hume
    2. Re:Online Gamers. by G-Spot · · Score: 2, Informative

      Well, it really isn't CS mods you enjoy, it's HL mods. CS is an HL mod, so if you enjoy the current HL mods, try and imagine what the HL mods will be like. And besides, HL deathmatch pretty much sucked anyway.

    3. Re:Online Gamers. by biglig2 · · Score: 1

      Well, no harm in there not being HL2 multiplayer, given how much base HL1 multiplayer sucked - to the extent that even Valve put their name to mods (TFC, Ricochet - both excellent but underplayed games in my opinion). HL2 is for single player, and steam is just a convenient way to get it.

      As for CS:Source, there's a history of people wanting to migrate popular mods to new, improved engines, and not doing it because it was such enormous work. I have a theory that migrating a HL mod to Source is going to be easy - CS:Source was ready before HL2 was - and so in this way the huge installed base of HL mods will shortly be ported. Any HL mod developers got a look at the Source SDK? Can you confirm this?

      Truth be told, most of the multiplayer FPSs I really enjoy are on the HL engine. Which is pretty much the Q2 engine underneath.

      Upgrading them to a shiny new engine to use all the features on those expensive graphics cards we bought in order to look at pitch black rooms in Doom III sounds like a good revenue stream to me.

      --
      ~~~~~ BigLig2? You mean there's another one of me?
    4. Re:Online Gamers. by G-Spot · · Score: 1

      As a clarification, that should have read "try and imagine what the HL2 mods will be like."

    5. Re:Online Gamers. by irc.goatse.cx+troll · · Score: 1

      "Truth be told, most of the multiplayer FPSs I really enjoy are on the HL engine. Which is pretty much the Q2 engine underneath."

      Q1. NOT Q2. Specificly quakeworld, which is just the online targeted Q1. While I agree that some of the best mods are off the HL engine, thats more sad than anything. Valve has proven to not care about the community many times, and we're all essentially stuck with an engine that they refuse to enhance any more because it lets them sell a new version. If you don't care about your engine, why not let the community take care of it? HL is essentially just quake1 with about 6 months of work added on. Compare that to the current itterations of quakeworld which are essentially just quake1 with 6 YEARS of work added on.
      What has valve done to enhance HL's renderer over the past year? Detail textures were added when CZ was released (and not really announced much), and thats it as far as I know. Still UGLY sprite based explosions(are particles that hard to code?) Still sprite based shadows(Atleast give us blobs, if not per pixel). Still only able to load MDL and BSP2-HL maps. (compared to FTEQuake's md3 support, and support for maps from q1/q2/q3/hexen/hl), console is still horrible, overall its really only barely been improved.

      Anyone who cares enough, grab a copy of equake(a quakeworld distrobution) at equake.quakeworld.nu

      --
      Pain lasts, kid. Its how you know you're alive. Sometimes I think this growing up thing is just pain management-TheMaxx
    6. Re:Online Gamers. by Jestrzcap · · Score: 1

      I believe the original HL engine was based off the the original quake engine.

      --
      "I have great faith in fools: Self confidence my friends call it." ~Edgar Allan Poe
    7. Re:Online Gamers. by G-Spot · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It would seem that at this point, we shouldn't continue to worry about Valve's extensions of the Quake engine, what with their having just delivered one of the 2 best engines on the market? I personally am glad that they did not waste time on the dying engine and instead allocated their resources to the Source engine.

    8. Re:Online Gamers. by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      well, you remember team fortress?
      and how valve was going to bring you team fortress 2? but then just released team fortress classic and the whole thing kinda died down afterwards?

      btw, counter strike isn't the only mod in it's genre - nor was it the first.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    9. Re:Online Gamers. by Ahnteis · · Score: 1

      What on earth are you talking about? They've added entirely new network code (2-3 years after release), voice communication support, continually released updated SDKs, and even added in detail textures to the HL engine.

      How much more are they supposed to do for a 5+ year old game? Do you want them to support it for eternity?

    10. Re:Online Gamers. by irc.goatse.cx+troll · · Score: 1, Interesting

      No, I want the source so that they don't have to.

      Everything you mentioned(excluding details) is well over 2 or 3 years old now. The new network code (which is horribly unfair to people with low ping being dragged back half way across the map because some asian shot you in the foot as you passed a hallway) was as you said 2-3 years after the release, which is still almost 4 years ago. Doesn't help defeat my "valve is whoring the source to the engine they arnt updating" theory.

      Quake2: Dec 1997
      HL1 : Oct 1998
      Quake3: Jan 2000
      Q2SRC : Dec 2001

      Guess what carmacks getting us for christmas? I'll give you a clue: its a game engine he no longer feels like maintaining.

      I just think its utterly selfish for a company to sit on an engine they don't update, forcing it to die off so that they can sell an updated version. It makes them look like bad programmers if they can't truely innovate an update that can stand on its own merit.

      --
      Pain lasts, kid. Its how you know you're alive. Sometimes I think this growing up thing is just pain management-TheMaxx
    11. Re:Online Gamers. by Ahnteis · · Score: 1

      Guess what. Quake 2 doesn't have THE CURRENT MOST POPULAR FPS ONLINE GAME built on it's engine. Releasing the source doesn't affect as many people.

      Meanwhile, CS and other HL mods are still wildly popular AND still being updated.

      Detail textures were added THIS year, not some other year.

      Like it or not, not everything is life is open source. Especially when it's NOT dead/dying and forgotten.

    12. Re:Online Gamers. by irc.goatse.cx+troll · · Score: 1

      And every one of these games would become even better if the engine could be enhanced. A good example would be RTCW:ET(though still closed source). ID/Activision could of just shelfed the game since they had to cut back on R&D to the point of it never becoming completed. Instead, they release it entirely for free, giving their customers an alternative to everyone elses games. Every hour someone spends playing your game is an hour they're not spending on someone elses.

      HL is dying, you don't need netcraft to confirm it. The majority of HL servers out there are bots, be they DoD, TFC, CS, or even NS. Every 'player listing' anybody puts out includes these bots as players, because unlike unreal (which I hate, for the record) you cannot distinguish the bots when querying servers.

      --
      Pain lasts, kid. Its how you know you're alive. Sometimes I think this growing up thing is just pain management-TheMaxx
  7. It's not out yet by mconeone · · Score: 1

    The SDK isn't out yet, and they may delay it until HL2 is released.... meaning who knows.

    1. Re:It's not out yet by Leffe · · Score: 1

      Yeah, they said that they would release it before the game before (quite a while ago actually), I think they changed it to sometime after the release.

  8. steam slashdoted by masterQba · · Score: 2, Funny

    steam got slashdoted to hell. u can't purchase shit right now :////

    --
    xb0x
    1. Re:steam slashdoted by G-Spot · · Score: 1

      I really think this is more of a matter of people trying to buy HL2 than it is of /. effect.

    2. Re:steam slashdoted by masterQba · · Score: 1

      of course, it's a figure of speech :-)

      --
      xb0x
  9. Date delayed by mconeone · · Score: 2, Informative

    It was delayed about a month ago or so to 12/31/04.

  10. For an extra $10 by mconeone · · Score: 1

    You also get a source engine remake of the original Half-Life, as well as Day of Defeat: source once its out. Not too shabby, seeing how people paid $30 for DoD retail, when you can download it for free.

    1. Re:For an extra $10 by Pwned · · Score: 1

      I'm really interested in the Half Life:source game. Did they remake all the models and such? Or is it half-life with half-life two weapons and models and critters?

    2. Re:For an extra $10 by G-Spot · · Score: 1

      Word from Valve is that textures will not be updated, it's just a port to the Source engine. Beyond that, it's all just speculation.

  11. Re:CST - GMT? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    CST is GMT-6, so with BMT being GMT+1, that would make it 6AM tomorrow.

  12. Nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm glad this finally got listed. I submitted this story 24 hours ago and it got rejected. Hmmm... Oh well, I shouldn't whine. I've got some CS:Source to play.

    Oh, and as of now, Steam can't connect to the purchasing database. Guess it's a bit busy.

  13. Trouble by Omroth · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Excuse me, but isn't the current lawsuit about Vivendi trying to stop Valve from selling Half Life 2 on Steam? And haven't the courts told Valve they can't sell HL2 on steam until the end of the case? And aren't Valve about to start selling HL2 on steam?

    I know that you won't be able to actually get HL2 today, but when you plonk down that $90, you sure as hell aren't paying for the hat... you're paying for Half Life 2. Doesn't that count as Valve selling it? And what happens if VU win? How does everyone who'se already brought it on Steam get their copy?

    Ian

    1. Re:Trouble by Jestrzcap · · Score: 1

      They can sell it. They just can't distribute it. "We'll take your money, though we can't promise we'll deliver."

      --
      "I have great faith in fools: Self confidence my friends call it." ~Edgar Allan Poe
  14. Er.. not a good idea. by AzraelKans · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I was going to moderate here, but to be honest I preffer to shed some opinions here. Are you sure its a good idea to shell out $50 for half life 2 right now? I mean, seriously, valve doesnt have the best history in delivering on time you cant talk about. HL2 delays are only second to DNF and thats saying a LOT. CS: source is neat, yes, but not worth $50 ($20-$30 maybe). And to top it off all you've got an untested and buggy, encrypting and delivery system and valve in the middle of a complex lawsuit which could lead to an undefined delay.

    I mean, off the record has it ocurred you, this whole lawsuit thing could be a smoke screen for something else? (a delay per example?) I mean have you ever heard about people beta testing half life 2 multiplayer? Its not like its the first time they use an elaborate excuse (cough code theft cough)

    Read between the lines, maybe you should hold to those $50 a bit longer. just in case.

    --
    Go ahead MOD my day!
    More opinions here
    1. Re:Er.. not a good idea. by Leatherman · · Score: 2, Insightful

      HL2 is not DNF. At least the source engine is up and functional. I've played the beta. When is the last time anyone has even seen a new screenshot for DNF? I already purchased the preorder and intend to play CS:Source. I think Valves legal woes with VUG are legit, not just smoke. I personally would like to stick it to VUG and therefore have purchased the preorder. Where are you getting untested and buggy? Steam has been out for quite w while, and yes it had some problems, but it is actually quite stable now. I have no Idea how things will play out in the long run, but I think Steam is a move to the future. I see it as the "itunes" of computer software. I choose to make a statment to VUG (right or wrong) that the middle man can be cut out. Just my $.02

      --
      I thought I made a mistake once, but I was wrong.
    2. Re:Er.. not a good idea. by ADRA · · Score: 4, Informative

      HL2 hasn't been beta tested because HL2 isn't multiplayer!

      CS:Source is the only out-of-the-box multiplayer support the last I heard, so your beta woes are unfounded.

      If you actually had Steam & Source, youd know that we have a couple gigs of data sitting around waiting to be unpacked. I don't see how this is all just an elaborate charade. Reviewers are getting first hand accounts of the game, it may be controlled, but none the less, if THEY are playing the real game, everything but some here-and-there bugs must be done.

      --
      Bye!
    3. Re:Er.. not a good idea. by Ahnteis · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Facts:
      1) Halflife 2 was announced 1 1/2 years ago. It has been delayed a total of 1 year to date.

      2) DNF has been delayed how many years? Are we up to 7 now?

      3) The HL2 release candidate(s) have been delivered to Vivendi. The game is done or very nearly done.

      4) Vivendi Universal:Games is the only money losing portion of Vivendi Universal. They need HL2 to be on shelves this year badly. By contract, they can only delay the game a maximum of 6 months but that would be financial suicide.

      5) Steam has been extensively tested or did you miss the 30 bizzillion people playing CS? CS:CZ has been sold over steam for quite some time. Just because you had trouble with the beta versions 1-2 years ago doesn't mean it's the same now.

      6) HL2 multiplayer has already been revealed to be CS:Source which people have been playing for nearly a month in beta form. The final version is available NOW to people who preorder through steam, and if you read the fan forums, there are people playing right this very minute.

      I think you may be reading some other book between the lines.

    4. Re:Er.. not a good idea. by mykingdomforahorse · · Score: 1

      >HL2 delays are only second to DNF and thats saying a LOT. HL2 to DNF is not a fair or accurate comparison, HL2 has released quite a bit of very polished media recently, and has been extensively playtested. DNF has not demonstrated anything of consequence recently. >And to top it off all you've got an untested and buggy, encrypting and delivery system I wouldnt call Steam untested...it has been runnign for quite a while, and while it had a rough start, it is quite stable now. >this whole lawsuit thing could be a smoke screen for something else? (a delay per example?) I mean have you ever heard about people beta testing half life 2 multiplayer? Its not like its the first time they use an elaborate excuse (cough code theft cough) This reeks of conspiracy theory, the code theft was not a smokescreen, it was a real setback, at least some of the perpetrators have been arrested. Also, there is no seperate HL2 multiplayer, CS:Source has been annouced to be HL2's multiplayer component.

    5. Re:Er.. not a good idea. by mykingdomforahorse · · Score: 1

      and maybe i need to learn how to format my messages.

    6. Re:Er.. not a good idea. by bottlerocket · · Score: 1

      Damn, I'm out of mod points.

      --
      where the comment ends and sig begins
  15. Legal Fees/Class Action by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Valve is doing this to get some coin in for its legal fees, don't you see?

    Also to threaten VU in that they will be held responsible for holding up HL2 in a future class action lawsuit by $50 'silver' purchasers should that come to pass.

  16. I like Valve, but wtf? by quantax · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'm just wondering why I should shell out $50 for a steam copy of HL2, the same amount I'd pay for a physical copy in a store. Basically, are they going to drop the prices once HL2 comes out in stores to something more reasonable like $40, and thus are using their leverage since everyone wants HL2/CSS/etc so badly that theyll pay $50 for nothing more than HL2 & CS:S? I was going to buy it today, but I guess ill wait till the prices become a little more reasonable considering I dont even get a physical product.

    --
    "What can a thoughtful man hope for mankind on Earth, given the experience of the past million years? Nothing." -Bokonon
    1. Re:I like Valve, but wtf? by G-Spot · · Score: 1

      I suppose there is always a chance that VU will sell the physical game at a lower price than Valve... but it is likely that it will be around the same price on DVD. You would think that Valve would do better to sell the game for a little cheaper, since this is really the first major game to try and utlilize a distribution system like this and have potential success. Valve has a lot to prove with this delivery method, to not only the game developers and publishers, but to the buyers too. It needs to work for us in order to be successful as much as it works for them. Does anyone have an approximation on the average cost to produce a DVD copy of the game (media, box, shipping, etc.)?

    2. Re:I like Valve, but wtf? by Ahnteis · · Score: 1

      It's highly likely that as part of Valve's agreement with Vivendi regarding steam, Valve agreed not to price steam games lower then retail versions.

    3. Re:I like Valve, but wtf? by Tofino · · Score: 1
      So you're willing to pay $10 for a wasteful box that you're going to immediately throw away, and CDs/DVDs that you're going to chuck in a drawer and never pull out again after installation?

      Not to mention the joy of driving to the local mall to pick up your purchase :).

    4. Re:I like Valve, but wtf? by flibbidyfloo · · Score: 1

      Are you kidding? All new games cost minimum $50 here in Sacramento and online at places like EBGames, so don't expect to see HL2 for $40 in the first 6 months of release. People paid up to $55 for Doom 3, they'll pay it for HL2.

      I wouldn't be surprised to see a retail price of $54 on HL2, meaning Steam buyers will save a few bucks. Plus, Steam offers the Silver package, which I'm guessing will not be available in stores. There will be Bronze and Gold only in retail packaging, because no marketer wants three versions of a game on shelves. It confuses people.

    5. Re:I like Valve, but wtf? by Chyeld · · Score: 1

      Well, first off I had read that the actual Steam prices are about $5 less than what you'll pay at a brick and motar establishment. Secondly, you'll have the game before anyone should have a copy from the brick and motars. Given you'll have it pre-loaded on your machine already and it'll just need to be unlocked (which should happen midnight the day the stores are allowed to sell it.) Lastly, how much do you think you'll have to pay for the rest of the options in the packages above bronze, if you get the boxed copy?

    6. Re:I like Valve, but wtf? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Makes you wonder if the Brick and Mortars are going to bother carrying the game, or placing it prominently, when the developers themselves are selling it for less?

    7. Re:I like Valve, but wtf? by ebrandsberg · · Score: 1

      If you didn't follow things, you may not have realized that Valve didn't have an agreement with Vivendi relating to steam, but instead had provided that Vivendi was for retail (physical box) distribution of the game, and not revealed they were working on Steam on the side. That's part of the problem that "steamed" Vivendi.

    8. Re:I like Valve, but wtf? by Ahnteis · · Score: 1

      If you followed things closer, you would know that Vivendi is suing Valve in relation to (among other things) their agreement regarding steam. Apparently they left out how many units they were allowed to sell however. :P

  17. Order now if you are going the Steam route by Taulin · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Why is Valve offering payment now? It's called the MMORPG effect. That is when 100k people try to login and pay for something at one time and all the servers go down for a day or two. If you are going to be purchasing the game via Steam, you might as well pay now when the servers are not so busy and you can actually get through and have a chance of getting your order processed. I already see hundreds of Steam buyers whining on release night that they still havn't been able to get their game while others just went down the street.

  18. AMEX by delus10n0 · · Score: 0

    Wish they took AMEX :(

    *sigh*

    --
    Not All Who Wander Are Lost
    1. Re:AMEX by hunterx11 · · Score: 1
      At Black Mesa, it takes a brave man to fight the horrors unleashed.

      But it won't take American Express.

      --
      English is easier said than done.
    2. Re:AMEX by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh, come on moderators! That was funny!

  19. Those of us who kept the ATI coupon by KH · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I just registered the cd key that came on the ATI coupon with Steam. The available games show CS:Source. Oh, it shows up as an available game and now it's updating...

    Well, I had this old CD of CS retail lying around here when I built this PC. Somehow I was talked into installing Steam (not knowing what was happening in that scene in the past couple of years). I never played HL and don't have much interest either, but I thought it was kind of nice that I was given a chance to play. And the coupon that came with my 9800XT was somehow not lost. So, here I am ready to play CS:Source now.

    It just finished loading the stuff. I'll see what it's like :) The problem is... I forgot how to play CS :D

  20. I suspect vivendi is... by jonwil · · Score: 1

    holding off in the hopes they can get an injunction in the court preventing valve from releasing HL2 over steam untill the legal mess is sorted out.
    If they can secure that quickly, they will approve HL2 and release.

    What I dont get is why Valve doesnt come to some aggreement with VU that allows Valve to release via Steam and pay some amount of money to VU for every copy sold/downloaded. (i.e. VU gets some cash out of it but valve still gets all the cash that would otherwise go on production costs for the CD, box and manual, costs/profit for the store and so on)

    1. Re:I suspect vivendi is... by Farmer+Jimbo · · Score: 1

      Because Vivend is trying to get the court to assign the IP rights of the Half-Life franchise to them.

    2. Re:I suspect vivendi is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because they don't deserve it. They didn't fund development, they're just going to distribute the physical version. If valve gives them money it'd practically be giving in to blackmail.

      Online distribution has the potential to make games cheaper, and ensure developers you like get your money, not middlemen.

  21. Was it rushed? (no pun intended, CS fans) by toady · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I haven't been over to the Steam forums yet, so I don't know what everyone else thinks, but it seems to me that CS:S might have been a little... rushed.

    Where are the new models? The "surprises"? (Fable, anyone?!)This is basically the Beta with a few more maps. And NOT the most popular maps either.

    "But they'll update it with new models etc soon" is all I've been hearing. Yes, maybe so. But when I buy a game I expect it to be fully finished. The fact that CS started as a fan mod shouldn't mean we should have to settle for a handful of maps upon release and hope the fans make the rest. Is it just coincidence that some of the most popular maps are the ones that missing? These are also the maps that the modding community are most likely to port over FOR VALVE, FREE OF CHARGE!

    Don't get me wrong, I'm a big supporter of the modding community. It could even be argued that it's fitting that some of the classic maps are being created by the community again. However, the court hearing tomorrow (a day after release) just makes me wonder...

    Maybe Half Life 2 will convince me it was money well spent. After all, it is *technically* the game I paid for!

    --
    In Soviet Russia, the readers moderate YOU! Wait a second...
  22. Best to wait by Kenrod · · Score: 1

    I see no reason to buy HL2 (any package) now. The unresolved conflict with Sierra could delay online distribution, so while retail buyers can buy HL2 on release, Steam pre-buyers might be sitting around waiting for Valve and Sierra to get their shit sorted out. No thanks. And read the disclaimers - no guaranteed release date! And if HL2 DOES become available through Steam, why not buy it when you're sure you'll be able to play it?

    --
    Good heavens Miss Sakamoto - you're beautiful!
  23. Steam login required to play HL2/CS:S? by TimfromCal · · Score: 1

    Let me get this straight, as maybe I misunderstood the stuff on steampowered.com but do they require me to log in to Steam to play the single player version of HL2? Doesn't that seem counterintuitive if you can just buy the game and run it whenever, I mean, what about internet dropping or steam's server getting overloaded. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I can't say I like that idea, or the idea of paying now and receiving later in this situation.

    1. Re:Steam login required to play HL2/CS:S? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When the steam servers go down, you're still able to get into the 'offline' mode if you didnt 'exit and logout' but rather 'exit' last time you used steam on that PC. I'm not sure if hl2 single player will be accesible without having a steam account.

  24. My worry... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have one big worry about this. I've no problems about the idea of buying a game over Steam. I don't think I'll ever actually like Steam as a piece of software (I still find it rather slow, buggy and annoying), but I've nothing against the idea in principal. Indeed, I wish to hell that Square-Enix would start releasing expansions for Final Fantasy XI over their similar (but IMO vastly superior) PlayOnline system. No, my big worry is what happens if I pay for HL2 over steam now and then Valve lose their battle with Vivendi and the game ends up only being released on the shop shelves

    Do I get some kind of voucher that lets me pick up a free copy from my local high-street retailer? Do they ship a copy to me themselves? Do Valve refund my money? Or am I stuck having paid for this game with nothing to show for it and needing to go buy another copy from the shops?

    I'm not trying to make a point here... this is a genuine question.