Half Life 2 released in Savannah Georgia

[msduncan]

Just wanted to give folks a heads up:

I just got a call from EB (where I have HL2 preordered) and the guy told me they have it in and it's ready for me to come pick up.    I just about jumped out of my seat!!!

Problem is that I've already decided to cancel that preorder because I have that free copy from the promotional video card thing.   So basically they get the darn copy early for once in my life on a major release and I have to wait for Valve to unlock the game on steam for me!!!!!!    :x

Anyway....   I hope this release day breakage expands widely so that Valve will go ahead and unlock the game.

[-Lord Ebonstone-]

You have to unlock it via Steam even if you have CDs, though, right?  Couldn't Valve just lock that process down til the 16th?

[msduncan]

You have to unlock it via Steam even if you have CDs, though, right?  Couldn't Valve just lock that process down til the 16th?

No idea.    If that's true I'm glad I have resisted temptation of going ahead and throwing out 50 bucks even though I already have it downloaded for free via Steam.

[msduncan]

I just called back the original EB (that started all this) and pretended to be someone else:

They said release date is next week.

So it must have been a screw up by someone that worked there.   In other words:   they must have gotten their copies in and have to sit on them for 5 days.

This is the sort of thing that always royally ticks me off.   If game stores get the game 5 days before the release...publishers should just let them start selling the damn thing.    They coudl still have an official 'GRAND LAUNCH' or something on some day they pick out.   It's rediculous!


Also: someone over on OO forums are reporting that they've found reports of people getting the game early but can't play it due to the Steam lock.... so you must be right LordEbonstone!

[Booner]

This 'Steam Lock' seems to be the most absurd idea ever.

What about the 1000s of possible consumers who do not have internet access...are they just SOL, or are they going to have a toll-free hotline? If they don't have a hot-line, I foresee the BBB getting involved when said consumers aren't able to get a refund.

[Vesper]

What about the 1000s of possible consumers who do not have internet access...are they just SOL, or are they going to have a toll-free hotline? If they don't have a hot-line, I foresee the BBB getting involved when said consumers aren't able to get a refund.

Valve has said all along that an internet connection is a game requirement.  It's printed on the box.

[Booner]

I guess they are SOL then.  

That just doesn't seem to be a very good marketing idea IMO.

[farley2k]

Also: someone over on OO forums are reporting that they've found reports of people getting the game early but can't play it due to the Steam lock.... so you must be right LordEbonstone!

So what is the point in having a "launch" day when stores can sell the game?  Just sell the game but don't let people play!  Bet that wouldn't piss off consumers very much.....

[Sparhawk]

That just doesn't seem to be a very good marketing idea IMO.

I would wager that the majority of computer users have access to the internet. You can get a free or very cheap dial-up connection to activate your steam account and copy of HL2.

[IkeVandergraaf]

What's gonna happen on the 16th when everybody and their brother tries to authenticate the game at the same time and crashes Valve's servers?  I don't know about you, but when I pay cash money for a game, I expect to play it as soon as I get it home.  I'm gonna be pretty goddam pissed off if I install the game Tuesday evening and can't play it because Valve's servers can't handle the load.  MMORPGs are one thing.  Single player games are quite another.

[Biyobi]

I'm planning on leaving my machine on overnight (and Steam up and running) so hopefully it will do the authentication while I'm either asleep or at work.

[bluefugue]

I guess they are SOL then.  

That just doesn't seem to be a very good marketing idea IMO.

Agreed, it's idiotic, since there is a single player portion of the game.  There ought to at least be a phone line where people can register it.

Most PC gamers are online so I doubt it will affect sales much, but I still think it sucks.

[bluefugue]

What's gonna happen on the 16th when everybody and their brother tries to authenticate the game at the same time and crashes Valve's servers?  I don't know about you, but when I pay cash money for a game, I expect to play it as soon as I get it home.  I'm gonna be pretty goddam pissed off if I install the game Tuesday evening and can't play it because Valve's servers can't handle the load.  MMORPGs are one thing.  Single player games are quite another.

Well, the authentication itself shouldn't be a large file that needs to be sent, right?  Assuming everyone has already done the preload.  I'm hoping Valve's servers can handle it...

[dangerballs]

I'm planning on leaving my machine on overnight (and Steam up and running) so hopefully it will do the authentication while I'm either asleep or at work.

That might not work.  Especially if Steam needs to update itself.  It would be better to quit Steam and then restart after 3:00am EST on the 16th.

[Punisher]

msduncan, you should try to find the person who said you can pick it up and then GO BUY IT! Then try to activate it and see if it works, if not return it as defective or call Valve and complain that there is no warning on the box saying it won't work until the 16th. See if you can get them to unlock it, then gloat all over the internet..

Also what is the OO forum?

[disarm]

So what is the point in having a "launch" day when stores can sell the game?  Just sell the game but don't let people play!  Bet that wouldn't piss off consumers very much.....

they've been doing this for a while already with Steam purchases...

[Big Jake]

Ike, I just posted the very same thing in another thread.  

And bluefugue,
(1) as it's being sold in stores, OBVIOUSLY not everyone has preloaded.
(2) it doesn't matter how small the file is,  Even if it's only 1K, that stilkl si abndwidth, and when you are talking MILLIONS hitting at a few moments within each other...

Seeing as Valve has never exactly run a Blizzard.net service, I don't see what experience they have with this massive an enterprise launch.  At this point, I am really *expecting* a crash or glitch that massively gums ups the works in the 16th.  I could be wrong though.

[dangerballs]

OO forums

Many old Gone Gold people are there.

I hope that Valve has improved their service since they got completely slammed on the October 7/8/9 from the rush of Steam orders.  If that is how the servers are going to be hit, then the 16th might be a looooooong day waiting for HL2.

[-Lord Ebonstone-]

(2) it doesn't matter how small the file is,  Even if it's only 1K, that stilkl si abndwidth, and when you are talking MILLIONS hitting at a few moments within each other...

There aren't going to be "millions" unlocking it ASAP.  The hardcore gaming geek community is much, much smaller than that.

And yes, I know it's a global simul-release, but Valve has different servers for each continent, so that's not an issue either.

As long as validation requires less than a megabyte of transfered data between the customer and Valve, I simply don't see this becoming a problem.

[Big Jake]

You got a point LE.  The hardcore community that will be play from the moment it's available is significantly smaller than the total number of people htat will buy it.  I hadn't thought of that.

[dangerballs]

The only thing that worries me is that this "smaller" hardcore group was able to bring the servers down on the opening day for Steam purchases.  All the servers needed to do then was to run credit cards and decrypt CounterStrike files.

[msduncan]

If they are smart, they will quietly and secretly have the unlock go out sometime ahead of schedule -- that way anyone already running steam would get it.    

That would lighten the load for when word got out and everyone started hitting it.   Then maybe they could have the servers back online by the time the masses get it on Tuesday.

[Beer Goggles]

If they are smart

Do not forget, it is Valve we are talking about.

[wankerjr]

If they are smart

Do not forget, it is Valve we are talking about.

PWNED!

[Jancelot]

What happens if/when Valve goes out of business and I want to reinstall and play Half-Life 2?

[egrudzin]

They could eventually release a patch that turns off the server authentication.  Didn't some other company do this for a game they stopped supporting?

But really does anyone think Valve is going anywhere anytime soon?

[Rob_Merritt]

What happens if/when Valve goes out of business and I want to reinstall and play Half-Life 2?

You don't.

[Falator]

What happens if/when Valve goes out of business and I want to reinstall and play Half-Life 2?

You don't.

You have to break the law and dl a crack :roll: I really doubt valve is going to go out of business any time soon, but then i would have thought the same about microprose. Imagine if you couldn't play ufo:apocalypse since microprose's servers weren't up to unlock your copy (this is assuming you are willing to take the time to mess with your copy to get it working under xp which is a pain in the ass)... :shock:

Hell, even the publishers of the bgs are now gone so you can forget about those too if they used this system of protection :?