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Moshman
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So basically, you can't play games in cyber cafes.
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OoPpEe
Spectre
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So basically, you can't play games in cyber cafes. Odd, because here in West Edmonton Mall there is a cafe which has a 32 computer LAN with Steam running on it. LAN matches and all. |
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ConfusedUs
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Odd, because here in West Edmonton Mall there is a cafe which has a 32 computer LAN with Steam running on it. LAN matches and all. and they could get sued by Valve. It's happened before. |
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Woodsman
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i cant say ive ever been to a cyber cafe anyway besides that i thought the who VU thing was bullshit anyway.
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Footman
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that's OLD news foot. shhh, I don't know that yet.  |
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« Last Edit: 2005-05-10, 21:12 by Footman »
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Angst
Rabid Doomer
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Posts: 1011
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Actually, that article effectively states that any non-steam purchased valve application is no longer legal. VU Games has notified distributors and cyber caf?s that were licensed by VU Games that only Valve is authorized to distribute Valve games to cyber caf?s and grant cyber caf? licenses. Cyber caf? operators that were licensed by VU Games have also been notified that any license agreement from Sierra Entertainment, Vivendi Universal Games or any of their affiliates or distributors that may have granted rights to use Valve games in cyber caf?s, whether written or oral, is terminated. In plain english: If you purchased Vivendi Universal published copies of Valve software(read: retail), you're screwed. If you're lucky, you might be able to talk to Valve about getting them legitimized, or you may have to purchase entirely new licenses via steam. |
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"Who says a chainsaw isn't a ranged weapon?"
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scalliano
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Yup, that's me
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Yes, Valve DOES suck.
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PSN ID: scalliano
The Arena knows no gender, colour or creed, only skill.
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shambler
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This is why I have not played HL2 yet. And won't unless this changes.
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Tabun
Pixel Procrastinator
Team Member
Elite (3k+)
Posts: 3330
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You're not experiencing one of the best games out there because of some legal bollocks going on? Wow. That's like not wanting to sleep with Jennifer Connely because her parents are getting a divorce :]
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| Tabun |
?Morituri Nolumus Mori? |
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Footman
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You're not experiencing one of the best games out there because of some legal bollocks going on? Wow. That's like not wanting to sleep with Jennifer Connely because her parents are getting a divorce :] I think he's quite justified for that to not want to play HL2 because of Steam. The Steam forums are literally flooded with topics regarding problems with Steam. |
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Phoenix
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VU Games has notified distributors and cyber caf?s that were licensed by VU Games that only Valve is authorized to distribute Valve games to cyber caf?s and grant cyber caf? licenses. Emphasis mine. Angst, this language only concerns cyber caf?s, not individual end users purchasing a retail copy for private use. My question remains unanswered.
Tab: This has nothing to do with missing a good game and everything to do with getting sick of intrusive corporate measures of control. My concern is the entire system. Say you legally purchased a game and then you move to some area and you can no longer get internet access. That means you can't connect to Steam. That means you can't utilize a product you legally paid for. I have a problem with that. Also, what about people who are on a crappy dialup connection and by nature of their localle cannot get broadband, or again cannot get internet access at all? This is the problem with download-only schemes, and "must be logged in to play" schemes. I can still play my old copy of Wolfenstein 3D if Id Software goes belly up next week, and I can install and re-install it no matter how many times I may format my hard drive. Granted, right now you can purchase a CD, and Steam DOES have an "offline" mode, but you have to log in to authenticate once before you can use it. That means you're screwed if you have to reinstall and no longer have internet access.
Frankly I'm getting fed up with all this intrusive authentication crap. Treating your customers like criminals by default and making them jump through hoops to use what they've already paid for tends to wear thin. It's my hardware, I paid for it, therefore I and I alone am the sole decision maker in regards to what will and will not go on within its circuitry. If I'm going to pay for software then I'd like it to run without having to get Big Brother's permission every time. One software company may be no big deal now, but everyone is starting to go to this sort of system. And why, to save a few bucks on pirated copies? The piracy problem will just get worse, especially as it becomes easier to look for a crack or hacked version that actually works than deal with corporate tech support that doesn't. The hackers and crackers are always going to find ways around this sort of thing. I wonder if these geniuses have figured that out yet.
I'll probably purchase a copy of Half-Life 2 if the price drops to a more reasonable level and if the retail copies aren't, as Angst suggests, invalidated at some point, but past that I doubt I'm going to look for more from Valve. I pay for my games legally, and maybe I'm just a bit of a hoarder in that I like having a nice package, nifty instruction manual, and a pretty CD in a case, but it's starting to get awfully tempting to raise the Jolly Roger in order to sail around the bullshit. |
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  I fly into the night, on wings of fire burning bright...
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Tabun
Pixel Procrastinator
Team Member
Elite (3k+)
Posts: 3330
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Ehr, I agree on the intrusion bullshit, obviously. It's just possible to use warez cracks to play an officially bought game without having to go through that. If you don't use steam to play online, sure thing, although at times between updates even that is possible. I've paid for the game, and I've played it. Both without having to be sucked into the new world order.
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| Tabun |
?Morituri Nolumus Mori? |
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Phoenix
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That's what I'm talking about. 
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I fly into the night, on wings of fire burning bright...
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ConfusedUs
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You can play HL2 offline. You just have to set it to 'offline' mode. And you only have to activate it once, when you first install.
After that, you can run Steam in offline mode forever if you so choose.
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scalliano
Elite
Posts: 1095
Yup, that's me
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Pho and Tab: Damn straight on BOTH counts. My PC isn't the most reliable in the world, and every so often I'm forced to reformat. Not really an issue in itself, but I'm using WinXP and thus have to go through this entire product activation bullshit just to use the damn thing. What's more, the online activation only works a set number of times, thus forcing me to sit by a phone punching in a stupid-digit ID code only to get a stupider-digit code back.
I have resorted to cracks for legit games in the past, and I'll carry on, especially if companies like Valve are going to continue to make them harder and harder to use.
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PSN ID: scalliano
The Arena knows no gender, colour or creed, only skill.
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games keeper
Elite
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scalliano , next time install xp ,and your needed software , then take a backup from your complete Cdrive , when xp goes down , just put in a floppy and recover winxp.
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shambler
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Jennifer Connely? yes please.
I agree with Pho on all this, and like nice boxes etc, but I think we must resist steam, or it will get worse for us all. I will miss out on this game.
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