Half-Life 2 trouble

Pekka · Post by **Pekka** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 10:09 am

I bought a licensed version of the game, installed it, but now it wants to connect to smth on the net (which I don't have at home), without it won't start. I guess I didn't pay enough attention to the min. requirements (idiot).undefinedundefined Does anyone know how to get around this? Thanks in advance.

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 1:34 pm

Try mailing Valve and asking them if there is any chance.

Minimum requierments is a "live" Internet connection as you have found out now, so I don't think there is much hope. The game needs to be decrypted by communicating with Steam(I think it is called), but I don't know the excat process that is used (I don't have HL2 myself).

Floyd_theBarber · Post by **Floyd_theBarber** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 2:17 pm

Having to keep an active internet connection to play Half-Life 2 was a really bad design choice for Valve in my opinion. Many gamers still have 56k and don't want to tie up their phone lines to play a single player game!

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 2:49 pm

I doubt you have to be online to play the single player game.
You need to be online while registring/decrypting the game (for how long that might take), and possible at game launch to verify the game.
I haven't looked into it further because I don't own HL2 and also have broadband connection.

However - I can fully understand Valves decision due to the amount of pirated products, and can live with it myself if/when I buy HL2.
And I can especially understand it with a game as hyped and anticipated as Half Life 2 - then it was a good game to introduce the technique, and I'm sure we'll see much similar like this in the furture.
It is to annoying that copyprotections and anti-piracy devices have to borther the legitimate buyers, but it is the price we have to pay for people illegal copying software.

Magrus · Post by **Magrus** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 3:39 pm

I got into an argument with my friend who bought the game when he showed it to me about the copyright thing, unfortunately he was drunk and wasn't in the mood to discuss it thoroughly. I do believe he mentioned two methods of copy-protection. He wouldn't go into it though so, there may be a different method of installing everything that will get rid of the need of an internet connection. You may want to read through everything that came in the package and see what it says.

Pekka · Post by **Pekka** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 4:35 pm

Valve is flailing its hands at thin air. Guys who are determined to play pirate stuff will become even more determined to do so (human nature )while we, legitimate users, will take the brunt. C'est la vie!

Noober · Post by **Noober** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 4:44 pm

The contents of this thread were not how the gamewas intended to run, and is very close to violating forum rule #2

#2 - Questions or ideas that deal with illegal activities, including any post related to software piracy, will be removed immediately and you'll lose all posting privileges.

GFreeman · Post by **GFreeman** » Wed Dec 22, 2004 4:27 pm

yeah ive been reading all this stuff about valve having all these problems, but i have yet to run into ANY...I love this damn game....(as can be seen in other threads...heh)

Jandau · Post by **Jandau** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 3:12 pm

DISCLAIMER: I oppose piracy and do not own or buy pirated games

Now that this is out of the way, I must say Valve's efforts were mostly in vain. I've seen the pirated version of HL2. It's basically the installed & registered version, burned on a DVD, with a little program that adjusts the game to the computer it is now occupying (links with the registry & all that). I don't know if it works with internet play, but hey, you get what you pay for. But mostly, this system serves to make things more complicated....

GFreeman · Post by **GFreeman** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 3:36 pm

is it really necessary to do that tho?

jsut go out and buy the game....no problems then. i just dont get using those kinds of games.

_johnny_boy_ · Post by **_johnny_boy_** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 5:14 pm

HL2 Registration

I was narked off with Valve for what they did, but it's relatively quick and simple, you log onto Steam, HL2 tells Steam it's been installed, Steam send back it's here-you-go-enjoy the game code and you're away, you only need to be online the first time to get Steam running, connected and validated. Once it's available you're done. You can start Steam in off-line mode and the world is your anti-grav gun on acid!

Jandau · Post by **Jandau** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 1:01 pm

[QUOTE=GFreeman]is it really necessary to do that tho?

jsut go out and buy the game....no problems then. i just dont get using those kinds of games.[/QUOTE]

Well, computer games aren't exactly cheap. Where I live a brand-new latest game costs around 50-70$. On average, pirated games are priced at around 5-10% of the original's cost (4-7$). It's a big price difference, but there are various risks involved, such as bad copies (no refunds), corrupted software and viruses. You can buy cheap, but don't go crying if it doesn't work....

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 1:57 pm

Televisions are expensive as well, doesn't mean I go stealing one or buy a stolen, if I can't afford to buy it legally.
Can't afford the software, then live withouth it. Think it is to expensive, live withouth it and/or start protesting the prices, but do so legally.

Anyways - keep the forum rules about piracy in mind as this thread moves on.

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 3:37 pm

Xandax is right, and I have gotten a couple passing comments regarding this thread. It's walking a dangerous line, and it's now closed.