Slashdot Mirror
Valve Cracks Down on 20,000 Users
An anonymous reader writes "Valve have disabled 20,000 steam user accounts belonging to users who have been caught using a pirated version of the game, or have attempted to use a cdkey to bypass the securom protection found on the retail version of the game. The Steam Forums have been swamped with people now claiming they are unable to play, many claiming they have had their accounts disabled for no reason. A Valve spokesman says, 'The number of people who actually had bought HL2 and used the CD key cheat was VERY small. VERY small. Most people just tried to rip off the game and not bother buying it.'" People are discovering that when you buy any product that is subject to "activation", you haven't really bought anything.
You have purchased something. A license to play the game on the terms and conditions that are told to you by the company.
If you violate the terms and conditions, the company can suspend or revoke your license to play the game.
They do not owe a refund to you if you decided to violate the agreement.
Not a Twitter sockpuppet... but I wish I was.
Is there a way to disable the "feature" that forces me to load the CD every time I want to play the game? And will doing so get me banned? Why can't steam disable this annoying problem after we activate our game and prove to them that we bought it? At least there is a hack for Doom 3 and other newer games that disable the CD check without getting you banned from the network.
For some reason I thought that said 'scrotum protection'. I always did say anti-piracy measures were a load of bollocks.
I know that a lot of people will have huge problems with this.
I still don't see why though- most people knew about Steam going in (everyone who tried to use the crack knew about Steam).
Someday, circumventing copy protection won't be seen as a white-hat activity. But it will be seen as people trying to cheat others out of compensation for their work.
No reason to lie.
seems like someone may have slowed down the pirates for a little bit...
People are discovering that when you buy any product that is subject to "activation", you haven't really bought anything.
Except...these people didn't actually buy the product, did they? No, they stole it. I don't see what the problem is.
This space intentionally left blank.
I can understand someone who bought a real copy of the game using a no-cd crack so they don't have to have the CD in all the time (I do this for most of my games - I HATE having to swap CDs all the time), but using a cracked CD key? There really doesn't seem to be an excuse for this.
"People are discovering that when you buy any product that is subject to "activation", you haven't really bought anything."
Uh, yeah, actually. I BOUGHT THE GAME. I didn't use a stolen key, because I ACTUALLY PAID FOR IT. And I have zero problems.
Puh-lease. Don't even try to slander Valve here, they're so on the ethical right on this they've got halos appearing over their heads right now.
And anyone with half a clue and that can do basic logic realizes that down the road Valve will eventually just patch the game to run without connecting to Steam. Especially if the network itself is in danger of dying for any reason.
I wonder all the hassle about the activation. My Steam-version of HL2 worked fine from the preload to the ending credits. It serves them right to have accounts banned if you tried to use pirated cdkey etc.
Although I wonder also why would anyone use their OWN account to try playing a game they didn't pay for. And the version I know of, pirated I mean, doesn't need the activation at all...
-Is the meaning of life vanity, or is vanity the meaning of life?
My Linux Command of the Day site : LCOD
...that they have no clue how many legit customers were affected.
Just don't post crappy editorial comments like this:
/. in a long time; so Valve decided that to attempt to crack down on piracy (and it's not as if we haven't seen lots of leaked games) they would force "activation" of the product, even for single player use. Boo hoo, and now some people got caught trying to stiff Valve. Cry me a river. Valve is a for-profit business selling a piece of closed-source software.
> People are discovering that when you buy any
> product that is subject to "activation", you
> haven't really bought anything.
OK? That's the stupidest thing I've read on
In other news, michael buys car and is shocked to discover must buy gas for it continue working.
John.
So, you try to pirate Half-Life 2, and they lock you out from playing it... That's all well and good. But if you've got other products you've legitimately purchased through Steam you can no longer access those either because you tried to pirate Half-Life 2? That sounds like a great reason to never use Steam. If you ever do something they disapprove of with one of Valve's products you could lose access to hundreds of dollars of software that is completely unrelated.
Why aren't they just blocking those users from Half-Life 2 instead of revoking (shall we say "stealing" since they like to mis-use the word too) ligitemately purchased licenses for other products too?
It's comforting to see piracy protection which works.
People who paid for the product can enjoy it and those who didn't can't. Seems fair.
Unfortunately, I am not Wil Wheaton
"A Valve spokesman says, 'The number of people who actually had bought HL2 and used the CD key cheat was VERY small."
So how draconian are they being? Is that "VERY small" number of users being excluded from the blacklist? Or did they trigger some End Game transgression of the EULA by even trying the CD key cheat?
If the latter, that would SERIOUSLY suck.
Why is this such a big deal?
Go on usenet, find the appropriate cracks. Enjoy. The end.
See how easy that was?
We have secretly replaced these Slashdot mods' sense of humor with a rusty nail. Let's see if they notice!!
Go valve. Please deny acces to everyone who hasn't paid for the game. And then go on to deny access to everyone who cheats. I couldn't care less about people who stole a product being denied the ability to use what they stole.
I bought Half Life through steam and was pleasantly surprised by how smoothly it went. I was expecting a nightmarish problem judging by Valve's earlier problems with network security.
However, regarding activation. Maybe if so many people in the "community" weren't so busy pirating the games Valve wouldn't need to go through these hoops.
What I'm more concerned about overall is, what happens when people have their steam accounts stolen? How is Valve going to deal with that. I could probably use Visa to get my $59 back, but what a tremendous pain in the ass.
Oderint dum metuant
People who are cracking your CDs have made a conscious decision that a) you made something of value b) they want it c) they would rather steal it than pay for it. The rebuke that takes simply takes it away is a gentle one and shows restraint. The thieves (or "infringers" - the technicalities of the language are not important) probably deserve punishmnet. Given that Valve is acting with restraint, they certainly have the right to be as preachy as they want.
There have been many threads going on where we argued on how useless and unfair (compared to customers who bought it off steam) the cd-check is and valve did not reply even once. Instead, the moderators deleted the "800+ replies" thread but it's far from over because there are many other threads currently on this topic that are open to discussion and hopefully, we will make enough noise to get them to listen.
Using a no-cd patch with steam is a risk that you take because afaik, it could detect it but I can't confirm that. Frankly, this is Valve's job to remove the cd-check which is, like I said many times, utterly useless since activating Hl2 thru steam with your cd key is good enough to prove that one person has a legit copy. Even if the game had no-cd check, sharing the cds would be useless since Steam would popup asking for a valid key which is already in use....
It's their product. Why can't they say what they want how they want? Clearly there are enough people (like myself, who bought it over Steam and has been enjoying it with no issues) that could care less if a bunch of pirates (that don't deserve to play anyway) get booted and talked to harshly. It is AGAINST THE LAW, don't they have a right to be pissed?
We are one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. Back to you with the weather, Bob!
I bought HL2 the day it came out. The steam servers were so swamped that it took me over 2 hours to get the damn thing activated. Frankly, I do find the idea of being treated like a potential criminal every time I launch the game offensive. It's like having a store run a criminal record check every time you wander in to buy something. I'm not going to argue about the license - Valve certainly does have a right to protect their interests, but I'll certainly think twice once I see any product using Steam as a prerequisite to using it. They can do what they like, and me and my money just won't get involved. (btw - the post above about still needing the damn CD is right - what the hell for? If anything good could have come out of Steam it would have been able to stop having to swap CD's back and forth).
I'm glad that Valve is 'cracking skulls.' Mess with the bull and you get the horns buddy.
In all seriousness, Valve is an intelligent company and has most assuredly been very careful about this. Of course there are going to be mistakes, but out of 20,000 warez a**holes there's probably only a very VERY (to quote Valve) few people who actually purchased the game and then for some reason went out and grabbed a key generator when they didn't need one.
That's very likely 20,000 less cheating bastards at Counter-Strike Source (leaving on a few million to deal with.)
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So, what happens in 5 or 10 years when you want to play the game and can't install it on a new machine because Steam is gone or has been replaced? I understand their attempt to thwart piracy, but perhaps they should try a different approach. Perhaps innocent until proven guilty?
Wooden armaments to battle your imaginary foes!
What happens if I buy the game on ebay that somebody already played. Will steam not allow me since it's already registered to the previous user? More importantly what happens when VU shuts down valve and steam B/C profit margins aren't high enough or some other BS reason, and there are no servers to validate my copy? I don't want to buy a game that might not work in a few years.
SmashTech - No smashing of tech involved
They are disabling accounts, thus effectively preventing people to play the legal games they did buy. So, is Valve obligated to provide refunds to users who cannot access their previously purchased games.
I mean, if I sell you a car, and you come into my house and steal my laptop, I don't get to take back my car and laptop and keep the money.
and it's still working ok... Am I lucky or it's only a question of time?
Anyone else still playing with... err... pirated HL2?
(And don't give me that crap "oh, bad you, pirate! go sit on a corner". Hurl the first stone those who have NEVER pirated a piece of software!)
A guy walks into a doctor's office and pokes himself in the chest. "Doc, it hurts when I do this." He pokes himself in the shoulder, and says, "And when I do this." He pokes himself in the thigh. "And when I do this."
The doctor says, "You must be Polish, right?"
"How'd you know?"
"Your finger is broken."
("Those damn software companies. How dare they use product activation to help curb piracy? Well just for that, I'm going to pirate their stuff until they stop!" Yeah. I'm sure that's likely to convince them.)
People are discovering that when you buy any product that is subject to "activation", you haven't really bought anything.
Companies are discovering that people will routinely and casually avoid paying for their products or for the use of their services whenever it is easy to avoid such payment.
Similarly, people routinely and casually avoid stopping at stop signs and using their turn signals.
"Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives" should be a convenience store, not a government agency.
You can't just dictate whatever terms you want to people. They'd like ot pretend you have a contract with them. No, sorry, it's not. A contract requires an exchange of things (goods, money, whatever) and requires both parties to agree and sign. Saying "You agree by opening the box" isn't valid. Also contracts must be open to negoation. If you are leasing an apartment and disagree with a clause in the lease, you can strike it out, inital the change, and send it back to the management company. They are not required to accept these changes, but they have to negotiate it.
EULAs try and do many things that are just unenforaceble. Basically they want the best of both worlds. They want it to be a physical good when it suits them, but a licensed product when it suits them. Doesn't work that way. When you sell a product on the shelf, with no contract signing, you are selling a good. Things like the doctrine of first sale apply, even if you write an EULA that says they don't.
This is different from something like an MMORPG. Here there are two parts: the good and the service. The game they sell you is a good, and you are welcome to keep it, even if you never use it online. Their servers, however, are a service, you pay for the right to use them. Being a service, they can put restrictions on that without a contract, since if you don't like it, you are free not to use the service.
Think if the logic Valve applied here was applied to a physical good, like a dishwasher. You go and pay for it up front, no contract, and take it home. Then, one day, it stops working so you call for warentee service. They say "Oh no, it's not broken, we just deactivated it. See you violated your license for using it, so we are turning it off. You'll need to go buy another one if you want to use it."
That's how stupid this shit with the software is. It's not a service, it's a good. You are purchasing it with the expecation that oyu are able to use it as such. You can use it in any way you like, reverse engineer it, resell it, whatever. All you can't do is make a copy of it, or a derivitive work. Those are copyright infringement.
Either way, I hope it blows up in their face. I can gaurentee I will not be buying a copy as a result. I'll stay with the Unreal Engine series, as Epic aren't assholes about things like this. Likewise, I'm recommending to all my friends that they do not purchase it.
Should such a time come when Valve wises up and gets rid of this retarded protection, I'll reconsider, but at this point, there's no way they are getting my money.
I can't seem to figure out who Valve is actually banning? If somebody has a pirated version of the game, then they don't even have a Steam account to ban in the first place, because the cracked version bypasses Steam!
Are they only banning people who actually paid for the game and used a no-cd crack? That's just retarded; It stops the legitimate users but does nothing about the pirates.
Are you crazy? Do that and the TERRORISTS win!
I've pirated a few games in my time.. and when a patch comes out and when I am no longer allowed to play it over the net because I am out of date, or they move to make some restriction that stops the juwarez monkeys from playing their game I don't bitch about it.. I accept it as the flip side to being able to play the game early or for free. Tough shit if I was too cheap to fork out the money for it!
Kudos to Valve for having the balls to try and tackle the root cause of the problem.. combine cutting out the publisher and a pretty darn secure way of delivering games to people and we might yet actually see a reduction in game prices. They are hopefully setting the trend - combine that with not needing the CD to play the game either, and you have a winning combination IMHO. Not quite sure whats gonna happen though if my broadband net connection goes off for some reason?
For the record I purchased the bronze package (cheapass I know.. never mind) about 10 minutes after Steam pricing packages were made available, and then at about 30 seconds past 'zero hour' when they were supposed to have enabled the HL2 authentication servers I closed and reopened Steam, unlocked HL2 and was playing in about 10 minutes.
The game is awesome. I finished it this weekend and loved every minute of it.. those who haven't tried it thanks to some irrational fear of Steam or something really need to get over it and try it out.. you ARE missing out by not playing this game. Its the new benchmark quite frankly.
"Hey! Unless this is a nude love-in, get the hell off my property!!"
People are discovering that when you buy any product that is subject to "activation", you haven't really bought anything.
Not true, not true!
If you buy the Half Life 2 Collector's Edition, you get a shirt!
You didn't "buy" the software, you bought a license to run the bits on a CD (or in the case of HL2, 5 CDs) as well as the service that Steam provides. You're free to do whatever you want with those CDs: Use them at coasters, throw them at kids, grind them up and put the powder in your coffee. This is true with HL2, MS Windows, Adobe Photoshop, and most other software out there. Whether the game was downloaded or bought on CD isn't really important.
I'm sure "SlashdotMedia" will improve on all the wonders that Dice Holdings blessed us all with
Before the DMCA, I did it all the time. I do not own a big harddrive for no reason. One of the reasons to have it is that I can do a full install of all the games I get (though these days most games require a full install). I want to install it, put the CD back in the box, and not worry about it. It seems really stupid to me to have to give it a CD so it can do a little check just to let me play. Hence, I'd crack the game so that it would just run.
Of course that's not legal anymore, than's to the DMCA, but it still is in the rest of the world and you can see why peopel would want to do it. I don't really care that people also use cracks for illegal purposes, something shouldn't be illegal just because it has an illegal use. MOST things that have legal uses also have illegal uses.
if activation is required, then why annoy end-users, aka the source of cash-flow for future projects with an ineffective method of protection such as SecuROM. Hell, a majority of those so-called protection schemes are the cause of so many incompatibilities and game crashes.
Besides, it's probably for Valve for them to drop SecuROM as it's pointless and it costs them money (I believe a percentage of their profits is taken for it's use). If activation is required, why bother and pay for a third-party protection scheme when your in-house developed method works especially when the third-party method can annoy users AND potentially cause bugs?
Annoying loyal, paying customers is like the BestBuy economics; it'll hurt you in the long run more than it'll help you in any parallel universe.
You said "People are discovering that when you buy any product that is subject to "activation", you haven't really bought anything." OK, let's play this game "You bought a product license, you haven't really bought anything". That's not a true statement: You buy the right to use the product, which is the good you paid for. It may not be the good you THOUGHT you paid for, but then again, you do read the end-user licenses, right? All product activation does is enforce the license. Oops...you don't want license enforcement. That's fine. Find another game then. The market will decide if this technology is a good idea or not.
Umm...more likely, people are discovering when they steal a product with product activation, they haven't stolen anything useful. And later, when they try to cheat playing Counter-Strike, they'll find they can't play anymore. All in all, I don't see the problem here. I quit playing CS a long time ago because of the repeated wallhacks and other cheats, even though I found the game very entertaining. Part of the license compliance that's enforced by Steam is also enforcing anti-cheat measures. I'm 100% in favor of features that keep the playing field honest. And if it gives the guys at Valve more money, well, as far as I'm concerned they've earned it.
Unlike the vast majority of the people here who don't like Steam, I actually do believe in giving people money for what they produce. I think people deserve to be compensated for their work. I don't think you have the right to deprive people who want compensation for their work of that compensation. And I think the "but I don't like swapping CD's" argument is thin, at best, and more likely it's an outright lie. It's a stupid argument all the way around. If you want to listen to a CD while you play the game, CD-ROM drives are what, $20? Here's a nickel, kid, buy a real computer.
In Minnesota you have 3 days to return any item, in it original purchased condition, to the place of purchase and recieve a 100% refund. One exception to this rule that I know of opened software cannot be returned in Minnesota under any circumstances.
There is or can be built a machine that can simulate any physical object. -Church-Turing principle
I saw the other reply getting modded into the dirt, and decided to reply here :-)
Up in Canada, the product is QuickTax (same company). I was trying to print out some tax returns for a exparte court visit (exparte meaning does not require proper service). So I find out late Friday afternoon that it's going to be a Monday morning epsisode in court, and I require tax returns. I have all my tax returns on cd, not printed, because, hey, I own the software.
I got 1999 printed, but not 2000, 2001 or 2002. Why? Because I had installed the software on an older, now dead and gone machine, previously when I did the original fucking returns. So their 'activation' detected that it was a new machine and prevented me from installing and printing out my returns. I attempted to call their amazing technical support, but because it was out of tax season, it was 9-5 Monday to Friday, or in my time zone, 10-6. So basically, they expect someone to make personal calls from work.
I ended up calling Revenue Canada and having someone pick up summary returns while I delayed in court. Thank you Intuit, for worrying that I might be trying to redo a 3 year old tax return. If you are going to disable shit, allow people to at least PRINT OUT WHAT THEY ALREADY HAVE and kill the ability to make a new return, or something more useful than that. And it would be nice if you would reply to emails too.
I use XP, simply because it came with my laptop. I do not use Office XP or later, or other software that requires *activation* unless I can now absolutely avoid it. After all, how are you supposed to ensure the company you are buying from will remain in business in case you need to reinstall. And for all you linux zealots that are going to attack me on the using Windows statement - piss off. I develop software for the predominant platform so I can feed my kids.
People are discovering that when you buy any product that is subject to "activation", you haven't really bought anything.
What the hell do you expect them to do then Michael? Is Valve just supposed to put up with tens of thousands of people playing their game without paying for it? So does this mean I can find some way to hack the Slashdot premium membership database and just start giving away premium memberships to whomever wants one? Would that be OK with you?
I understand that activation probably isn't the best method to handle this problem, but right now what's the better solution? This isn't some enterprise-level database you can just open source and start charging for support. Nobody needs a maintenance contract for HL2. A company like Valve has to try and keep their product from being blatently stolen.
I bought my copy through steam and now I have to connect to steam every time I want to play. If their server is down or my net connection dies then I can't play. This is complete BS! There are pirated copies of the game in circulation which indicates that their copy protection is nothing more than a major PITA to their customers. I'm sure I am not alone in thinking that I should not have to ask mommy (i.e. their game servers) permission to play a game I own! What if this sort of activation scheme extends beyond games? Imagine having to ask Microsoft if you can use your computer each time you boot it. As soon as I can get a crack for this nonsense, I will.
Those who would do good don't need laws to force them; those who would do evil will do so regardless of the law.
That being said, I hope to make it clear that I feel software piracy is wrong. However, Steam/Valve is doing itself a great disservice, seeing as how people who want to pirate their software will find a way to no matter what they do to enforce their licensing. Windows XP should stand as a good example - how long was it before the activation was cracked? Answer: days at most. When pirate keys were banned, we had SP1 cracks.
So what happens when the activation software shuts down the OS/game/whatever on a non cracked version? It often shuts down a legit user who simply changed hardware or the like.
So, we have a situation which puts the old wine of my original quote into the new modern wineskin - those who pay for software don't need activation to make them do so, and those who don't pay for software will circumvent any activation schemes in place.
And, as is the case in both examples, only the law -abiding citizen is left restricted by the laws/copy protections intended for the non-law-abiding sort.
Now, does this necessarily make laws/copyguards unnecessary? No, I'm not that naive. These are generally designed as a method of discouraging people from casually "changing camps," on top of providing recourse against those who do break the rules.
I suppose my real point here is that the only losers here are those in the right; those in the wrong have nothing to lose. Therefore, I don't see how such draconian methods will help Valve in the long run.
I hope the land around you yields, a crop like all the other fields, and then your waiting might make sense...
Doesn't matter how many are in each camp. There is a legitimate use, and that legitimate use should be protected.
www.kitchengeek.com -- Nosh for
Definition of bought:
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q
Also if you dont understand that one,
(definition of acquire, defines bought):
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?
The plot thickens,
(definition of possession, defines acquire):
http://dictionary.reference.com/search
If you don't feel like clicking the links, let me summarize it for you:
to "buy", past tense "bought" is defined as "acquiring", but to "acquire" is to gain "possession", but "possession" is defined as "something owned."
Go ahead read it, it's right in the english dictionary.
So what you have just stated is an Oxymoron. What i have bought, is mine and i have the right to do what i want with it.
Examples:
House - i bought it - i own it. if i want to tear it down i can
Car - i bought it - i own it. - if i want to junk it or tear it to pieces i can
Underwear - i bought em- i own em. if i want to wear them on my head in private i can
Video Game - i bought it - i own it if i want to play without a cd or online authorization, i can. and i will dammit. Cause valve is infinging on my right as owner of said property.
You dont have to show anyone the deed to the house every time you step through the front door, do you?
I don't have to fax over a copy of the car title to the DMV every time i want to start a car do i?
I don't have to call Hanes every time i want to put on clean underwear now do i?
So why should i have to do those things with Valve's software, or any software for that matter.
On the other hand , i completely and wholehartedly agree with the rest of your comment.
The message here is don't trust Vivendi or Valve. Return the product to the store for a refund (in the EU the distance selling regulations mandate this for Internet sales). Then wait until the dust settles. In the event that Valve and Vivendi continue to hate customers more than they hate each other then just give up. It's only a game, after all.
K.
Let's not kid ourselves. The cd check is a punishment from Valve for not purchasing the game online using Steam and giving them more money. It is accompanied by the lack of Day of Defeat and HL:source (considering the retail version has a comparative cost to the steam 'silver' package).
I pre-bought my game far earlier then they released the info on the Steam vs retail packages. I feel insulted by Valve and I personally hope Vivendi gives them some sort of legal grief for the way things turned out.
"Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest." - Denis Diderot
What you've been buying all these years are licenses to use a piece of software. The company that owns the software (in this case, Valve) can revoke your license any time they want, if they feel you have violated the license agreement. The difference now is that, for the first time, Steam allows them to do so with real and immediate effect. You are free to contest a revocation by contacting the owner, or by taking your case to a court of law, if you feel you did not violate the license agreement.
If you want to argue whether or not software should be licensed, that's fine. But this is the way it currently works, so you'd better get used to it.
Yes, you have to install Steam to run HL2.
:)
;)
Yes, steam allows you to install the game onto more than one computer.
Yes, you can only play on one computer at a time.
Think of it as a Microsoft Passport for online gaming.
When you log into Steam you create a unique account, and you enter the CD keys for HL2 or Coutnerstrike or whatever. Then, when you go to the cybercafe or what have you, and log onto Steam there, you have access to all the tiles you've registered CD keys for.
In some ways it's a great idea, in other ways it's not so great. For instance, you can buy HL2 right from Valve over the Steam thingie. The downside of this is the time it takes to download 5 CDs worth of content. As many people are complaining, it really messes up the pacing of the game if you get to play for a few minutes, then have to take a break while the next batch of content loads.
But the bright side is: No Vivendi. No need for bricks and mortar. Pure electronic publishing. Of course for the bright side to really shine you'd think they would charge maybe $10 or $20 less since surely they save that much by cutting out the middleman...
Anyway, I own the original Half-Life and I tried playing it on Steam. (This was after completely installing the full 5 CDs of Half Life Platinum Pack or whatever.) Now, the annoying thing was... loading content. Even on the dang train ride in the beginning of the game, it had to pause and download the next level. I said, this is dumb, I have the CDs, why is it downloading stuff? So I ditched Steam and played the Old-Fashioned Way. Though it's a mess, I'm not sure if I was playing the most up-to-date HL because it seems like some of the patches are steam-only... but I'm not gonna download a whole game via Steam when I've just installed it all on my hard drive and Steam is too dumb to use the files I already have. (Checksum anyone?)
From what I can tell the most benefit comes from Steam if you are a big Counterstrike player and you go to lots of cybercafes and are such a junky that you play at work, grandma's house, etc. You buy the game once and when you log into Steam it doesn't matter if you're at the computer lab or at home or wherever.
For the average home user, who plays games on one PC at home, steam doesn't really offer a lot, and the fact that it automatically starts and hangs out in the System Notification Area when you boot is kind of insulting as well.
Just my two cents. Two cents I still have, since I am playing the warez version of Half-Life 2.
Oops, I just realized my Steam account is the same name as my Slashdot account. Oh well, not like I was planning on using Steam anyways.
From the article:
Yesterday, Valve disabled approximately 20,000 Steam accounts which had been used to try to access Half-Life 2 without purchasing it. The method used was extremely easy for Valve to trace and confirm, and so there is no question that the accounts disabled were used to try and illegally obtain Half-Life 2.
Accounts also may be closed due to fraudulent activity in an attempt to obtain additional products for your Steam Account. This includes Credit Card fraud, theft of accounts you do not own and using cracked versions of Valve games.
--
There is a direct link to what to do if you believe they made an error, etc.
I think this part of the message is vitally important, compared to the other piece, because people are going "oh I applied a no-cd patch, etc."
Note that the steam agreement does say you won't alter the software. Note you can also get a no-cd patch (as other posts have been saying) by simply uninstalling the game, and then running it via Steam.
And note, when you install a Steam game from CD, it doesn't necessarily copy the entire CD (or CDs) into the cache. When you play the game over Steam, the steam title has the option of loading files from the CD that aren't present in Steam's cache (and AFAIK there's no way to turn this option off from the steam client).
This "might" be why one of the CDs has to be in the drive, because it might be reading an index (I've not licensed Steam to develop games, just investigated licensing it, and that's one of the features in the list).
If your code is acting bloated, and is running rather slow, it's likely and predicted that some loops you will unroll.
More importantly, why aren't more people telling this company to fuck off? When TurboTax tried the activation bullshit, there was a huge public outcry, people applied for refunds in droves (and got them in states where the laws allow them), and rushed to H&R Block's TaxCut. TurboTax got the message big time and took out a full page ad in the NY Times and other major newspapers apologizing for the incident and as a result TurboTax for this year has no activation required.
Of course, I can answer my own question: because there are other ways to do your taxes, but Half-Life 2 is shiny and game addicts need their fix. If you hate a company's product, you shouldn't support them. People need to be stronger and stop buying movies and DVDs and software that impose restrictions. Only then will the companies wake up.
There is no sig, there is only Zuul.
I will not purchase HalfLife 2 at this point. I had intended on purchasing it in a few weeks (after a system upgrade). This Steam thing puts all the cards in the hands of Valve. If they miss identify behaviour on your part, they can literally "unsell" hundreds of dollars of software in the blink of an eye. Now, of course, they will not refund your purchases, they will gladly keep that. I do not condone the theft and use of Valve's software, but I also am getting really tired about the "terms and conditions" that companies are giving themselves. Software should be treated no differently than any other form of purchase. Companies should not be able to give themselves super-judge powers, that in the blink of an eye can undo all purchases which have been done with that company. Kick the illegal software out, most certainly. But also kicking out legally purchased software, is not right.
I have a few questions about the EULA which pose some interesting situations. 1) If I'm under 18 and I install a game and push "I accept" but then violate the EULA, can they do anything? Since I'm a minor, the "contract" is null and void, and in theroy I can do whatever I want. 2) If I don't accept the EULA, does that mean that I can attempt to reverse engineer the software? I'm not to sure about copyright laws, but I didn't agree to the "no-reverse engineering" bit in the EULA. 3) What if (again) I don't accept the EULA, but manage to copy all the files off the CD and onto my computer, making the directory structure in tact and all files in place? In theroy I can do whatever I want (including play and/or possibly modify the files) as I did not agree to the EULA. I've been wondering about these questions, but I've never been able to find the answers. Maby someone can answer these questions.
What's the point of a sig?
The trouble with product activation is that it's implemented in such a painless and convenient way (in the majority of cases, where it works properly) that people fail to see this process for what it actually is: repeatedly asking permission from the manufacturer to use the product you purchased, after you purchased it. It seems the process is too automatic, too obscure not only for Joe User, but surprisingly, technically literate Slashdot readers who you'd normally expect to understand abstract threats to their freedom.
Perhaps if people had to actually speak to the company and say the words, "could you please activate my software?" and say it a few more times for other software packages, and a few more times after reinstallation, it might hit home. Perhaps if they had to wait on hold for thirty minutes, desperately seeking permission to use the software they purchased, it might sink in. Perhaps if, in a fit of nostalgia they decide to reinstall an old game only to be dismayed they can't play it because the activation system no longer works and no patch is available, they will get the message.
Indeed, whenever I've had to phone Microsoft to activate Windows XP, or Intuit/Reckon to activate Quicken, it's not the annoyance of being put through a five minute exchange of serial codes that sticks in my mind, but the more profound emotion of resentment of being put in that situation in the first place. I resent having to obediently request permission to use something I'd spent hundreds of dollars on. I resent having to repeatedly ask permission during the life of the product, according to criteria set by the company. I resent not knowing if I'll still be able to use the software a few years down the track. I resent that many of my friends, who paid nothing for their pirated/cracked copies, don't have to suffer the same indignities or worry about such things.
The most important issue about activation is not whether it's convenient or inconvient, but the way it fundamentally changes the relationship between the customer and a company selling proprietary software. For the life of the product, the customer is now dependent on the company to repeatedly affirm the most basic right of any software user. Not to peak at the software's source code or modify it, but simply to run the program they purchased legitimately.
Why dont companys just put ultra fine print on the box that says.
Why should it be ultra-fine print? What do they have to hide? Aside from that, I wouldn't have a problem with them making it available online. Just as long as they understand that some or all of their EULA may not even be valid where I live, and they should not be allowed to take action against me by removing my right to play the game if I violate unenforceable portions of the EULA. Now they could refuse to sell the game to people that live in places that won't enforce parts of the EULA, but that's up to them.
It's not enough to bash in heads, you've got to bash in minds. - Captain Hammer
So what are you going to do when, in a day or a week or a month or a year, the steam database has a glitch and marks your account as using a stolen key? Or when steam is cracked (because it WILL be sooner or later - the temptation is just too great) and Valve will start locking down legitimate accounts? What recourse will you have then?
I hadn't known there were so many idiots in the world until I started using the Internet -Stanislaw Lem
"You, Socrates, are breaking the covenants and agreements which you made with us at your leisure, not in any haste or under any compulsion or deception, but having had seventy years to think of them, during which time you were at liberty to leave the city, if we were not to your mind, or if our covenants appeared to you to be unfair."
... if you don't like/agree with the rules as we ALL pretty much know them to be at this time, do not purchase the game/license/vapor/whatever. I think the number of people who disagree with these kinds of measures is probably ridiculously low compared to the number who won't purchase based on these tactics.
Now that we know, put your money where your mouth is and don't play the game. If you do purchase, I don't see how you can argue that you disagree with the method Valve is using.
But the game itself is woefully overrated. I'd say, "Off to eBay with this," but who knows whether HL 2 will work if it has to be reactivated by a new owner?
HL 2 suffers most from being broken and from a fundamentally bad design choice. The STUT-STUT-STUT-STUT-STUT-STUTtering of dialogue at the start of virtually every new scene is something Valve will have discovered in testing, but obviously (and arrogantly) shipped anyway to get Xmas sales. The Source engine has big memory management problems.
Then there are the long, painfully slow load times, one coming every 10-15 minutes, and lasting around 60 seconds. Levels are split at arbitrarily unidentified points, so you never know when you're going to get hit with another minute-long delay--or make that 2-3 minutes, if you decide you want to go back to explore or find supplies.
HL 2 definitely has moments of brillliance. Fighting giant striders is interesting, and skimming along water reservoirs in your Road Warrior-style craft is fun for a bit. But it is far from being the masterpiece that the sold-out gaming press has blathered on about.
Honestly, if you don't want to deal with activation, don't use the product. End of story. Free Software will surely produce a game of HL2 quality before you die.
The better analog is to have a Gameboy game that requires you to have the box in hand whenevre you want to play. In short, an annoying physical vestage of the game that makes no sense to keep otherwise.
When you install a game on the PC, it copies all media to the PC itself (generally). In this case why are you required to ALSO have the game CD?
For HL2 this is doubly an issue. Because the game material you get via CD is the same encrypted stuff you get via Steam - only in the case of STeam you have no physical CD, so it doesn't require one to play. The HL2 CD should be treated as a much faster download from Steam, and then things are the same after that.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Wait a year or two and when it's in discount bin and working no-activation crack has been released, then buy it. Good games don't get old. If you suspect it might get old then maybe it isn't very good afterall.
Maybe FarCry2 or 3 or something else will be better. You just don't know. But you can bet that you'll know whether HL2 is any good after waiting a year, without even trying it out first.
Preserve old classics: copy your collection onto all hard drives.
Honestly? It's a game. You purchase a license permitting you to play said game. Some people pirate it and then get their accounts killed. If you buy a legitimate copy and follow the directions, I don't honestly see how you could get banned. Then again, the people who are whining are the ones you used a NO-CD crack, or using an outright illegal copy. Go Figure. The people who whine the most are the people who don't like paying for things. Oh wait... this is SLASHDOT, not Fark.com. What am I doing here?
Who the hell are the whiners complaining that you're account was terminnated because they circumvented copy protection and/or stole the product? Are these people INSANE? Who on earth thinks it's okay to steal something, have someone take it back, and then feel like you've been cheated?
It's like looking at the sky and flat out refusing to say it's blue. Come on, people, fork over the $50 to buy the game and support the people who BUILT IT so you can enjoy it.
How many games per year do you buy? Is $50 really that much for a game? It's not.
"Politicians find new names for institutions which under old names have become odious to the people."
Say it as much as you want, but you're still wrong. For all practical purposes they are completely different. In one case, a person has been deprived of the possession and use of an object. In the other case, they have not. How you can say that for "all practical purposes" these two are equivalent, I can't understand.
I'm in agreement with you that both are unethical, but they are definitely not equivalent. We draw much, much finer distinctions than this in the legal system. Consider manslaughter vs. murder.
Did you even try and look for these answers? I had exactly the same ones and found them out VERY QUICKLY:
"If I download the game and my hard drive crashes, can I reinstall it via Steam to a different hard drive?"
Yes: I want to move my Steam installation to a different disk or computer, how can I do this?
"Can I install it to more than one computer if I only play one at a time (ie my desktop machine and my laptop)?"
Yes: Can I use my Steam account on other computers?
"Does it cost anything to have a Steam account other than the initial cost of the game?"
No: " Is Steam really free?
At least try and find these things before bitching the information is not available... that took me longer to cut and past the hrefs than it did to find those answers....
All you had to do was go to Support and type your question. I've had no problem with downloading all the Steam content onto my computer, then copying it over to my brothers (he only has dial up)... and that was it. He now has and is playing HL2, and when he is done with it, I just fire up Steam and away I go... it's already there for me to play. Excellent stuff!
I think the point our poster is trying to make is that traditionally, we have not been beholden to companies to consistantly affirm the right and (in most cases) ability to purchase, execute, and run applications purchased. People do make a good point.. (What if company A is absorbed by Company B.. there are no promises that Company B will uphold your ability to use that product.. if they don't.. then your X dollar purchase just became void. Not so bad with a 50 - 100 purchase.. but when you are talking in the thousands and hundreds of thousands... it makes a BIG difference).. Or company A decides that in addition to whatever initial provisions are made to use the software, you now have to activate it via this SPECIFIC ISP.. (not such a far fetched idea as lets be honest.. everyone need to do what they think will enable them to survive and grow)
Lets also be clear here.. yes, there are some indivduals for whom all software (in their eyes) is to be free. But the percentage is VERY small relatively speaking. Most users agree that talent (and the firms that represent them) need to be compensated. (if this were not the case, valve would have just enforced a purchase online policy and there would be no shrink wrapped issues.. (its significantly cheaper for them to do so..)
What we are seeing here with this activation trash is the notion that they might loose 3 cents to the 5 people that did not purchase the software over the 5000 that did.
I believe there have been numerious studies from our dear friends at the RIAA and others which, dispite their cries, show that those 5 people don't make a bit of difference in their profits..(in fact, in many cases they help in the "advertisement" of the product itself).
Personally, I refuse to make use of any product (hardware or software), regardless of method or means, that forces my use down a path that THEY enforce. This is a personal choice so lets not start flaming here. For others, they choose to wave that right (ie: choice) in favor of doing what they wish to do..
But I do have a problem with the masses that hand over their supposed rights (little tested as they are) in favor of the simple rewards they think they have.
Of course, that is just my 2 cents.
God made the Idiot for practice, and then He made the School Board -- Mark Twain Look for http://Thebar.steelbeachca
I hate to break it to you guys, but not all companies are the same.
"Duh, but what happens when the servers go down?!". Well, we're talking about a company that releases game source for their products for people to modify. I'm pretty sure that Valve is more likely than anyone to release a "No-Steam" patch if they went out of business, just like they released a solution for WON being removed (remember that? HL1 had to log into a central server that doesn't exist anymore for multi, yet you're still playing that)
This is ignoring the fact that they'll be alive for at least another 5 years unless they blow all their money on coke, and that YOU CAN PLAY THE GAME OFFLINE ALREADY! So really, there's *no* situation where you won't be able to play the game.
What's funny is that the people the most pissed off about it haven't even bought it or don't know the facts behind it. I mean, it's way less restrictive than Apple's DRM on ITMS, for starters. I guess they're pissed that there's no Linux port and need a way to vent. It's okay. We understand.
In my American Government course, our professor read an article to us something along the lines of "Do the Federalist Papers seem too difficult to understand to you?" He then read how the original writers made sure that the language was understandable by an average farmer at the time.
I wonder how many more people would know what our laws mean if we hadn't been educationally dumbed down.
1980's, Atari, copy protected diskettes...
Game market crash. Will it happen again?
Oh quit spreading crap. Copy protection, in any form, including copy protected diskettes were always a joke at best. It's a shame to see it has ballooned this far over the decades.
Game market crash? MY BACKSIDE! There were so many factors associated with Ataris ineptitude that you can't even begin to blame it on software sharing. I never had a problem finding games in the 80s. Maybe Atari just stunk.
+++ATHZ 99:5:80
Well, another one of those dilemas... On the one hand I like not paying a lot of money for software, and while I was in college (long time ago) did dabble in the black-arts. Unfortunately, I'm seeing today that HL2 is not, comparatively speaking, priced high enough for folks to complain about. What am I talking about you might ask? Well... I've noticed since leaving college that the cost of programs used in professional work environments make gaming costs look like pennies. Considering the number of people using the software in the professional environments, companies have to charge more... but in gaming there are millions of folks who are going to buy the software, so the total cost is relatively small. Suffice it to say, I've learned that paying the $50 and moving on with my life is better than surfing the "z" sites for the random crack, and all the potential virii that come with it. Maybe it's just me though.
Nope.. That's 100% False... Software Industry Hype with a double helping..
NO-CD Crack/Patches DO have valid uses:
1) Prevent wear and tear on hardware and cd media. After all the companies are more than willing to replace your CD if it get's scratched beyond use.. NOT.. Granted some will replace a broke/damaged CD.. for a fee.. but they don't have to.
2) Convinience... The ability to use your lone drive to play audio CD's while playing a game, perhaps you just don't wanna hear the ingame sounds/music.. and would rather kill terrorists to the sounds of "Flight of the Valkeries", or "Anarky in the UK"...
3) Playing your legally purchased game. Suprisingly enough, some people are unaware that SecurROM 2/3 & 5 (HL2 uses 5), is incompatible with certain CD-R/RW / DVD-R/RW drives, and as such prevents legally purchased versions from runing. A No-CD patch is currently the only way to play the HL2 game you purchased with your money. (Liscense or Direct ownership arguement not withstanding).
SO no No-CD patches are NOT only for Piracy.
I know I've used a No-CD patch on all my The Sims games (Purchased @ retail for over $200 total), and I've had little to no trouble with the game, or any of it's expansions. Morrowind tech support even told people to go get the unofficial no-cd patch to fix problems with their game, until they could release a official patch that removed the CD protection checks, because it was AFFECTING their LEGAL CUSTOMERS use of the product they purchased.
So please before you make blanket idiotic statements, please check your facts, and learn that the Hype the software industry puts out is just that Hype, to make them look better, while they trample on your fair use and consumer rights (What you don't think your elected congressman had YOUR best interests in mind when they (those that did), voted for the DMCA do you?)
I have purchased no less than 3 counter strike games - each from regular retailers and each came with CD keys. Why 3? Well so me and friends could play legitimately on my T1 at my home. ./ and learn of this mess, 20k users banned - and you know all are not valid bans, the forums closed because of all the negative postings, basically the entire community is in rebellion. S.O.B I was right to begin with and should have never spent $50 for such total bullshit.
Imagine my shock and horror when I try to play one day and receive a message that my steam account has been closed because I am using a cracked CD key. 3 F'n times I have paid, and I'm denied access to play to game.
Then along comes Half Life 2. I refuse to buy it in principal and because of my previous experience. But the reviews are too good. "It's the best game ever, again." Not to mention my IRC chat buddies calling me a moron because I object to steam.
OK, I give in and buy it. What do I get? The first CD cant be read because of the imbedded copy protection. It takes over 4 hours to install as I go through 4 CD-Rom drives until I find one that will read the disk. An hour to "decrypt" the files, WTF?
I play it - and indeed it is good.
Today I read
But, who do I blame? Is it valve/vivendi's fault? NO. IT IS THE LAME ASS COPYRIGHT STEALING IDIOTS THAT CAUSED THIS PROBLEM TO BEGIN WITH.
Two Days ago I read with disbelief incredible responses saying how walking into a movie theater with a video camera and then posting the movie on the internet is an OK thing to do. Some idiot even associated it with free speech.
There is an incredible "steal it if you can" culture here that has resulted in me having to deal with unbearable BS in copy protection - and I swear to God - if I see one of you in a movie theater with a video camera actively recording I am going to pull out a gun and shoot you between the eyes.
I am that pissed off.
slashdot troll = you make a compelling argument I do not like the implications of.
Ha!! Ha!!
I'll never understand the mentality of some people. There is an old saying "he who pays the piper calls the the tune". This means that Steam made the HL2 game and they get to dictate it's licensing. You don't like it? Stop buying proprietary software and start using open source or free software as, yet again, those who made it, licensed it as they saw fit: freely.
You people who think that just because you *can* download it means that it's "okay" need to get yourselves spanked ever now and then.
Is your ass sore now? Good. Think twice before screwing someone like this in the future.
You guys give the rest of us a really bad name.
GJC
Gregory Casamento
## Chief Maintainer for GNUstep
Why is this even an issue? First of all, I have no sympathy for anyone that has had their account disabled, and I see nothing wrong with what Valve is doing, or how they are going about it. If you used a leaked CD Key, you deserve all of what you've gotten, and if you installed a patch that was not endorsed nor created by Valve, you are stupid to do so. If I were in Valve's shoes, I would do the same thing. There is absolutely nothing wrong to enforcing the EULA in this manner, you agreed to it by installing the software, and the only reason that your account was disabled in the first place was because you violated it. You didn't HAVE to agree to the EULA. Well, that is what I think, IMHO.
But the game itself is woefully overrated. I'd say, "Off to eBay with this," but who knows whether HL 2 will work if it has to be reactivated by a new owner?
Presumably, if Steam still exists, and you sell the original CD key along with the game discs, the game can be reactivated (after all you can activate it on multiple machines). Now, if you sold it but kept a copy, and try to still use it yourself, your use of that key will conflict with the new owner's. But doing that would be quite naughty anyway, and the new owner (and Valve) would be justified in being right pissed at you. Just make sure you uninstall, and the new owner should be perfectly happy.
Levels are split at arbitrarily unidentified points, so you never know when you're going to get hit with another minute-long delay--or make that 2-3 minutes, if you decide you want to go back to explore or find supplies.
I can see why this pisses you off. It's annoying. I do find that the load points tend to be in "quiet" areas - deserted tunnels, empty rooms etc. I.e. areas that you're just passing through, so the pause is less jarring than it might be otherwise. However, I doubt that mid-level loads are avoidable in a complex 3D game with today's desktop technology level. Until computers can hold the whole level in memory at once, we'll have to cope with it.
Freedom: "I won't!"