Guys, unfortunately you definitely will need an internet connection during installation and not just for online registration. I'm in the same boat as I also don't have a net connection @ home.
I'm going to try and install the game by taking my h/drive in to work and hook it up to my work PC.
But...if a crack comes out to bypass the need for a net connection, why shouldn't I use it having coughed up the bucks to buy the original game.....
Half Life 2
-
MeercatMilker
- Registered User
- Posts: 213
- Joined: 23 Oct 2004, 02:00
- Contact:
Remember to save the registry entries of half-life 2 because when the game installs, it will save very important stuff in the registry of the computer that has the hard drive. It may also be that when you put the hard drive back in your computer that the game will not work because some programs saves files that tells if it is registerd.L0g4n wrote:Guys, unfortunately you definitely will need an internet connection during installation and not just for online registration. I'm in the same boat as I also don't have a net connection @ home.
I'm going to try and install the game by taking my h/drive in to work and hook it up to my work PC.
But...if a crack comes out to bypass the need for a net connection, why shouldn't I use it having coughed up the bucks to buy the original game.....
Do I understand correctly that some things must be downloaded over steam to play the game, or is it just for registation
Jacques
This is what happens because of piracy. Eliminate piracy and all these extra safety precautions will not have to be put in place and people without internet connections would not have this very problem right now.........
The thing that irks me is I pay money for every game I play and dont regret it, But when Halflife 2 comes out, I will have a problem installing it because I dont have an Internet connection at home and yet the pirates wont have this problem because they end up cracking the game anyway.
The thing that irks me is I pay money for every game I play and dont regret it, But when Halflife 2 comes out, I will have a problem installing it because I dont have an Internet connection at home and yet the pirates wont have this problem because they end up cracking the game anyway.
Yes, as far as I know the game cd's/dvd will be encrypted and during installation you will need to download certain files to decrypt the data.Do I understand correctly that some things must be downloaded over steam to play the game, or is it just for registation
Thanks for the tip about the registry, forgot about that.
- DEAD SERIOUS!!!Are you serious about the whole online during installl... thing???
True, more or less, see:CD images arn't then, aslong as you have the orginal cd.
Yesterday, Valve's Doug Valente posted on the SteamPowered forums with information on a handy tool that will be included in the near future that will help you create back ups of your cache files that will enable you to copy them on to CD or DVD.
In the near future you will be able to make a CD Backup of your games.
Then Taylor Sherman had more information:
...there will be a DVD-sized option for the Backup feature too. It's not going to actually burn the discs, but it will create a self-extracting archive that is broken up into the appropriate-size files.
Great news for those people who do not have a DVD recorder, which was previously relied upon for the recent third party guides to backing up your cache.
I personally am in favour of the anti-piracy system in Half-Life 2. 2 people have already asked me if they can copy it when I get it.
Although I do realise not having a net connection would be a huge inconvenience, I think it is worth it in the long run.
Damn I can't wait...
Who will I be seeing at the Kalahari offices on the 16th?
Although I do realise not having a net connection would be a huge inconvenience, I think it is worth it in the long run.
Damn I can't wait...
Who will I be seeing at the Kalahari offices on the 16th?
-
wizardofid
- Registered User
- Posts: 10962
- Joined: 03 Oct 2003, 02:00
- Processor: Intel 2500K
- Motherboard: Gigabyte B75M D3H
- Graphics card: inno3d Jericho 570GTX
- Memory: 8Gig DDR3 1333mhz
- Location: I'm so Goth, my wrists slit themselves.
- Contact:
-
wizardofid
- Registered User
- Posts: 10962
- Joined: 03 Oct 2003, 02:00
- Processor: Intel 2500K
- Motherboard: Gigabyte B75M D3H
- Graphics card: inno3d Jericho 570GTX
- Memory: 8Gig DDR3 1333mhz
- Location: I'm so Goth, my wrists slit themselves.
- Contact:
8O 8O 8O 8O It's about time 
Piracy victimizes new video game releases
By Matt Slagle, Associated Press
DALLAS -- A month before the video game's scheduled release this coming Tuesday, illegal copies of the hot sci-fi action title "Halo 2" were already circulating on the Internet.
It's had a lot of company lately.
Several highly anticipated games, such as "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" and "Half-Life 2," have fallen victim to copyright theft. Illegal, often incomplete versions have appeared on file-sharing networks, news groups and Web sites.
"You spend three years of your life pouring everything you have into this project, and then somebody gets their hands on the game and gives it away to the world for free," said Brian Jarrard of Microsoft Corp.'s Bungie Studios, maker of "Halo 2." "We made this, and these guys had no right to give it out to the public."
High-profile titles are commonly pirated before they are released, certainly within days after they arrive in stores, said Douglas Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software Association.
Advertisement
In the case of "Halo 2," the French-language version appeared on file-sharing networks and news groups in October.
Microsoft said it was still investigating, working with authorities to track down those responsible. It remains unclear how the leak occurred, but it did not affect the game's release date.
That wasn't the case for "Half-Life 2."
Fans were waiting last fall for the imminent arrival of the sequel to the popular "Half-Life" when unplayable source code from the personal computer game was stolen from developer Valve Corp. and circulated over the Internet. The investigation has led to one arrest so far. FBI agent Ray Lauer in Seattle identified the suspect as a male from Germany but had no other details.
"Half-Life 2" developer Valve Corp. said the game will arrive in store shelves on Nov. 16.
By the time New York-based Rockstar Games, a division of Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., released its PlayStation 2 crime saga "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" on Oct. 26, an illegally obtained version as well pictures of the game and the instruction manual had been on the Internet for a week.
A spokesman said Rockstar is investigating. No one has been charged or arrested thus far.
While Lowenstein of the ESA said it can be difficult to pin the leaks on a single cause, he blamed multinational crime syndicates for much of the theft. Security experts, meanwhile, say the problem often stems from employees involved in game creation.
Gabe Zichermann, vice president of strategy and communications of security company Trymedia Systems, said video games are particularly vulnerable because so many people handle the games -- from artists and programmers to workers who package the final product. He said 70 percent of corporate security breakdowns are caused by insiders.
Many consumers, meanwhile, said they'd never consider pirated versions. Not only would it spoil the surprise, gamers tend to be devoted followers of game creators.
Soon after the "Halo 2" leak, the forums at halo.bungie.org were closed so the experience wouldn't be ruined come November.
"I was expecting to get all sorts of hate mail, but instead I've had hundreds of letters from people saying thank you, you've helped keep us pure," said Claude Errera, a 38-year-old from Bethany, Conn., who runs the popular fan site.
Fans helped track and curb the spread of the pirated versions of "Half-Life 2" and "Halo 2."
Jarrard credited incensed fans and community policing efforts for informing Bungie about Web sites hosting the illegal "Halo 2." The leak certainly hasn't affected sales -- Microsoft said more than 1.5 million copies of the Xbox exclusive have been pre-ordered.
And Valve, based in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, Wash., said its legions of devoted gamers provided thousands of tips that helped lead to the arrest.
There are many obstacles to snaring the thieves, much less prosecuting them. Many are based overseas, protected by a patchwork of law enforcement and copyright laws.
Efforts to stop the piracy include the ESA's Online Enforcement Program, which claims to have shut down more than 35,000 sites dealing with pirated games since 1998.
Lowenstein conceded that piracy will be tough to stamp out.
"The problem and challenge with piracy is that there are people out there on a worldwide basis who've identified piracy as a very profitable enterprise," he said. "You don't end this problem overnight."
Piracy victimizes new video game releases
By Matt Slagle, Associated Press
DALLAS -- A month before the video game's scheduled release this coming Tuesday, illegal copies of the hot sci-fi action title "Halo 2" were already circulating on the Internet.
It's had a lot of company lately.
Several highly anticipated games, such as "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" and "Half-Life 2," have fallen victim to copyright theft. Illegal, often incomplete versions have appeared on file-sharing networks, news groups and Web sites.
"You spend three years of your life pouring everything you have into this project, and then somebody gets their hands on the game and gives it away to the world for free," said Brian Jarrard of Microsoft Corp.'s Bungie Studios, maker of "Halo 2." "We made this, and these guys had no right to give it out to the public."
High-profile titles are commonly pirated before they are released, certainly within days after they arrive in stores, said Douglas Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software Association.
Advertisement
In the case of "Halo 2," the French-language version appeared on file-sharing networks and news groups in October.
Microsoft said it was still investigating, working with authorities to track down those responsible. It remains unclear how the leak occurred, but it did not affect the game's release date.
That wasn't the case for "Half-Life 2."
Fans were waiting last fall for the imminent arrival of the sequel to the popular "Half-Life" when unplayable source code from the personal computer game was stolen from developer Valve Corp. and circulated over the Internet. The investigation has led to one arrest so far. FBI agent Ray Lauer in Seattle identified the suspect as a male from Germany but had no other details.
"Half-Life 2" developer Valve Corp. said the game will arrive in store shelves on Nov. 16.
By the time New York-based Rockstar Games, a division of Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., released its PlayStation 2 crime saga "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" on Oct. 26, an illegally obtained version as well pictures of the game and the instruction manual had been on the Internet for a week.
A spokesman said Rockstar is investigating. No one has been charged or arrested thus far.
While Lowenstein of the ESA said it can be difficult to pin the leaks on a single cause, he blamed multinational crime syndicates for much of the theft. Security experts, meanwhile, say the problem often stems from employees involved in game creation.
Gabe Zichermann, vice president of strategy and communications of security company Trymedia Systems, said video games are particularly vulnerable because so many people handle the games -- from artists and programmers to workers who package the final product. He said 70 percent of corporate security breakdowns are caused by insiders.
Many consumers, meanwhile, said they'd never consider pirated versions. Not only would it spoil the surprise, gamers tend to be devoted followers of game creators.
Soon after the "Halo 2" leak, the forums at halo.bungie.org were closed so the experience wouldn't be ruined come November.
"I was expecting to get all sorts of hate mail, but instead I've had hundreds of letters from people saying thank you, you've helped keep us pure," said Claude Errera, a 38-year-old from Bethany, Conn., who runs the popular fan site.
Fans helped track and curb the spread of the pirated versions of "Half-Life 2" and "Halo 2."
Jarrard credited incensed fans and community policing efforts for informing Bungie about Web sites hosting the illegal "Halo 2." The leak certainly hasn't affected sales -- Microsoft said more than 1.5 million copies of the Xbox exclusive have been pre-ordered.
And Valve, based in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, Wash., said its legions of devoted gamers provided thousands of tips that helped lead to the arrest.
There are many obstacles to snaring the thieves, much less prosecuting them. Many are based overseas, protected by a patchwork of law enforcement and copyright laws.
Efforts to stop the piracy include the ESA's Online Enforcement Program, which claims to have shut down more than 35,000 sites dealing with pirated games since 1998.
Lowenstein conceded that piracy will be tough to stamp out.
"The problem and challenge with piracy is that there are people out there on a worldwide basis who've identified piracy as a very profitable enterprise," he said. "You don't end this problem overnight."
"In my weird politically incorrect hypothetically incoherent contradicting obscured world definitively maybe"
eish, i dont see what is so cost effective about piracy, i mean, when you download a game off the net, 75% of the time its a beta version, non-playable (still dont get why ppl download a non-playable version of a game), or just way more buggy than a legal version of the game. Its madness, your not enjoying the real game, its way more rewarding to go to the shop, buy the game, drool over the pictures on the cover and the manual which comes with it on the way home, open your cd-rom drive with jittery hands from excitement, anxiously look at the time every 5 seconds while it installs, turn up the volume, close the door and curtains, and sit back as you enjoy the intro movie and then get blasted away when you play the game, with no bugs, sound glitches etc. And the best part? Not having to search for a cd-key while installing, and no need to copy cracks and all sorts of junk to play the game. Eish, the manual alone which is the size of a book is worth the price to pay alone, not to mention all the effort put in by the developers, and that lovely dvd case with its smooth plastic on the outside and colour pictures 
when in doubt, paddle out... 
I have read the Steam Forums and have come to the following conclusion. You will need an internet connection to activate HL2, after which, once the game has been activated you will not need to connect to the internet every time you wish to play.
I quote:
1) I would approuch a internet cafe and enquire as to the possibility of me bringing my PC over to their cafe in order to install the game and certify it on the internet.
2) Friends or family who have internet: same story - take your PC there and use their connection.
Hope this helps guys
I quote:
I understand this measure which Valve has chosen to adopt as a direct resonse to piracy. I believe that they have adopted the correct measures in order to prevent piracy of their game, however, this measure of security has come at a cost to those who are loyal to the law and purchase or obtain their product legally. I can imagine that this will create a lot of unnecessary problems for many people who are to purchase a copy of the game. I am lucky enough to have an internet connection so I am not worried. Nevertheless I feel for all you guys who do not have connections. I think that there are 2 options I would consider if I were in your position. These are jusr thoughts and might sound silly but I am only trying to help.Do I need an Internet connection for Half-Life 2?
º Yes - You need an Internet connection to activate Half-Life 2. After that you can use Half-Life 2 in 'Offline mode'.
1) I would approuch a internet cafe and enquire as to the possibility of me bringing my PC over to their cafe in order to install the game and certify it on the internet.
2) Friends or family who have internet: same story - take your PC there and use their connection.
Hope this helps guys
"He's got a big gold ring which says Jesus Saves
and it's dented from the punch thrown at work that day"
and it's dented from the punch thrown at work that day"
Good advise.These are jusr thoughts and might sound silly but I am only trying to help.
1) I would approuch a internet cafe and enquire as to the possibility of me bringing my PC over to their cafe in order to install the game and certify it on the internet.
2) Friends or family who have internet: same story - take your PC there and use their connection.
This little inconvenience will be well worth it.This method of anti-piracy will be well implemented in the near future & we should get used to the concept. Note that this is not it's sole purpose though. Steam is Valve's 1st attempt @ own product distribution. Doing away with 3d party distributors like VU means no profit-sharing. Alas development houses pocket's more allowing bigger budgets for future releases & ultimately, better products.
Valve already made clear their intentions to license Steam to fellow developers. Apparently said to be quite a few showing interest allready.
This also the most recent culprit in the VU vs Valve case.
I personally don't see this happening any time soon though, purely due to the fact that this concept implies gamers download their games instead of buying it in shops. Sure some oke's cruising uncapped fat-pipes won't mind but, seeing most recent games these days installs @ a hefty 2-5Gb, less fortunate's like we SA's will be left out in the cold.
Developers must surely be aware of this, & it may yet prove to be a barrier simply to troublesome to overcome. Here's hoping...
Steam is Valve's 1st attempt @ own product distribution.
See the following link for full article:." By selling the games directly over the Net, the company is experimenting with a model that could substantially transform the video game business, which now rivals Hollywood in annual revenue.
http://news.com.com/Computer+gamings+St ... ag=st.prev
I've done some further digging into this matter & found nothing more than cross-board speculation. Gabe Newell's so secretive in interviews one thinks he's still working for Microsoft.
Some interests of note though :
Some interests of note though :
"All versions require an Internet connection upon installation" to prove the legitimacy of a player's copy, Lombardi said. "This is for authentication/anti-piracy purposes. Once this has been completed, the owner of either the retail or the Steam version can play Half-Life 2 single player in offline mode."
Any kind of Internet connection will serve the purpose, however, down to the lowliest analog modem, so long as it can make a TCP connection to Valve's servers.
Software developers have offered online registration features since the days of 14,400-baud modems, of course, but requiring online authentication is a step none have taken until now. With PC game piracy growing ever more prevalent, however, it should probably come as no surprise that someone would eventually take the plunge, particularly in the case of a game as widely anticipated as Half-Life 2.
Those few prospective Half-Life 2 players without recourse to any form of Internet access will apparently be up the proverbial creek. However, they'll also be unable to hop online and complain, so we expect most web forums to remain generally silent regarding the matter.
"During installation the user will be prompted to authenticate the copy and create a Steam account. After that is complete, the single-player and LAN games do not require an Internet connection."
This isn't just restricted to multiplayer, you will have to create a Steam account and activate your retail purchase before you can even run single-player. "
"Will it require setting up a STEAM account so that the game can be authenticated ONLINE at install time? (and then play OFFLINE)"
Exactly, this is how the game will be 'activated'.
Due to recent (and ongoing) piracy problems hitting Valve over the last year, the company has decided to take a leaf out of Microsoft's book. All copies of Half-Life 2 bought in stores (not through Steam) will require online activation akin to how Windows XP is activated. If you don't activate the game, you can't play it full-stop, not even in single player. This is probably going to upset quite a few people, and even though it is nice to think that everyone has an Internet connection there are probably a lot of gamers who don't. I can see why Valve has done this, and it does tie-in nicely with its Steam service. But this may also mean that all patches will require an activated copy, and any future add-ons will do an activation check before allowing play to commence. Is this the future of anti-piracy in games?
No 'Net connection? No Half-Life 2 for you!
MS created a snowball when they put activation into Windows XP and Office XP. Users pushed it down the hill when they accepted this practice en masse and an made it okay for the Adobes, Macromedias, and now, Valve's of the world to make use of activation as well.
Thanx.Still keeping an eye out. Will keep you guys posted.
(General consensus is gamers are not happy. Browsed alota forums today. Seen alota swearing!)
We are now paying the price for idiots pirating software. This will simply never end. HL2 will be cracked within hours of it's release. Mark my words.
Hello everyone
OK insted of making a yet another hl2 thread and getting my head bit I'm just going to use this one.
I'v got a simple question. And that is.. Is HL2 single player and muiltiplayer... As in you start the game and theres the option for either one. I'v been getting very confuesed about this steam or whatever it's called or does
OK insted of making a yet another hl2 thread and getting my head bit I'm just going to use this one.
I'v got a simple question. And that is.. Is HL2 single player and muiltiplayer... As in you start the game and theres the option for either one. I'v been getting very confuesed about this steam or whatever it's called or does
Cooler Master RC-690 CM 690
Intel Core i7 950 3.06 GHz
MSI R5870
2 x 1TB WD Black
Corsair DDR3-1600 6GB DOMINATOR
Intel SmackOver DX58SO MB
Corsair TX650W Power Supply - 650W
Samsung P2350 23"
Windows 7 ultimate 64bit
Intel Core i7 950 3.06 GHz
MSI R5870
2 x 1TB WD Black
Corsair DDR3-1600 6GB DOMINATOR
Intel SmackOver DX58SO MB
Corsair TX650W Power Supply - 650W
Samsung P2350 23"
Windows 7 ultimate 64bit