HL2 Packages Available on Steam

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."

Comments

Source?

[byolinux]

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.

Re:Source?

[aWalrus]

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.

Re:Source?

[Pxtl]

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.

what a mess...

[fireduck]

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...

Re:what a mess...

[mconeone]

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!

Valve/VUG Court Date Tomorrow

[dendyjm]

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...

Online Gamers.

[JavaLord]

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.

Re:Online Gamers.

[fluxrad]

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.

Re:Online Gamers.

[G-Spot]

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.

Re:Online Gamers.

[G-Spot]

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.

steam slashdoted

[masterQba]

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

Date delayed

[mconeone]

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

Trouble

[Omroth]

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

Er.. not a good idea.

[AzraelKans]

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.

Re:Er.. not a good idea.

[Leatherman]

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

Re:Er.. not a good idea.

[ADRA]

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.

Re:Er.. not a good idea.

[Ahnteis]

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.

I like Valve, but wtf?

[quantax]

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.

Order now if you are going the Steam route

[Taulin]

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.

Was it rushed? (no pun intended, CS fans)

[toady]

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!