Windows Valve releases warez versions of HL2 on BiT Torrent

saw this article today:
Linky

What do you guys think about this? Are they deliberately putting spyware on people's computers? I guess they figure no one will complain because they shouldn't have been downloading it in the first place. This is a crime. It's called blackmail.

I know a lot of people who bought HL2 through retail were talking about DL'ing the warez version because they couldn't get onto steam in order to authorize it. Now they're going to get banned from the service that doesn't even work for them in the first place I bought a retail copy and have had no problems at all logging onto steam. I know others haven't been as lucky as me though.

Valve is really going out of their way to punish people who don't purchase this game though steam. If you bought it through retail, you have to use the cd to play. Steam purchase does not require this. I don't understand why I am required to dig out the cd every time I want to play, I use the same product key authorization system as the steam buyers... And while we're on the subject of online verification, why do I have to prove I own the game ever time I want to play it? It's not like I'm using a several thousand dollar 3d rendering program. It's a 50 dollar video game for f*cks sake! Don't get me wrong, half life 2 is a great game and I am all for them protecting their property from pirates, but I really dislike the way they are handling this release. It's like they are using this extremely popular game as a weapon against pirates and against their publishing company, Vivendi. All at the expense of paying consumers...

 

How is stopping people from ripping off your intellectual property blackmail? Do you think people have a right to pirate software?

*n

 

*cough* Virtual Drive Emulation *cough*
Yes its legal if you own the game.. but you have to ifnd the way on your own on how to extract the ISO

 

No, I do not. In fact, I don't condone pirating and I don't own a single pirated piece of software. I beleive I stated that in my original post. This isn't about piracy. Do you think Valve has the right to invade peoples' privacy by tracking their customers' IP addresses?

 

I think they're entitled to it... it's theft to a degree

 

last time i checked you are only a customer if you actually pay for it

whole different type of piracy really, the actual damage to the company of the first product through piracy is limited, as any potential customer for the product would likely buy it (IE a design company isnt going to download a warez version) and most pirated versions of the program are likely to go to casual users who would never dream of spending that kind of money on a program just for kicks. (IE a 12 year old isnt going to spend $4000 on 3DStudio MAX to do his homework)

on the other hand, with something like HL2, theres a large base of potential customers which would just as soon pirate the game to save £30, but if the possibility of getting a warez version was removed the majority would jsut fork out the money.

thats the way i see it anyway.

 

You dont get it: Their game, they can do whatever the **** they want with it. You want to play it? You play it on their terms and conditions (which i assume you read).

Easy-as.

 

Tangent from the OP's point; I agree with Bindi here... HL2 is a great game, it's worth the money, it's worth EVERY PENNY that someone pays for it. Ergo, I think Valve are fully justified in making sure it's not pirated. I bought this with no qualms about the cost whatsoever.

If they think they can take the hit on sales from people who do not buy it due to the fact they have no net connection, then power to them. As he said, they can impose whatever restrictions they like and if people don't like it, don't buy it.

However, I do also agree that once you have bought it you have the right to play it, so Valve do need to sort out their authentication problems. That *is* unfair, but conversely it does not give people the right to pirate it, if your copy does not work you have the right to exchange, refund or sue the company. Nowhere does it say it's ok to circumvent their protection just because you own their game.

 

The retail disk-check is just stupid. I wouldn't have bothered going to PC world to buy a nice shiny copy of the game if I knew I'd have to use it constantly. I would have bought from steam. I really hope its not some childish way of trying to teach me a lesson.

 

It's not like the bronze pack is expensive, HL2 and CS:S for that price ($50) is an awesome deal!

 

.

 

I must admit it is annoying that you're forced to the cd \ dvd with the retail version but not with steam version. Surely once it's authenticated it's authenticated and the version that you bought shouldn't make any difference!

I'll have to look into the whole virtual drive business! Otherwise I'll end up ruining teh dvd before I finish the game.

I think the bit-torrent thing is a good way to discourage the priacy though. It's just like what many of the record companies have been doing with corrupted versions of songs but a little more advanced.

 

i guess one of the reasons is that you dont get a cd if bought over steam . sorry couldnt resist.

does anyone no if it makes a difference if you down load it via steam and then activate it using your cdkey. the only reason i can think is if the cd version installs differently to the steam version. It is a pain having to use a cd but most games need you to use the cd to play the game, its nothing new in that sence so i dont see what the big problem is with that.

this isnt directed towards anyone but it seems to me that people first slag steam off as a method of getting the game and so they buy it on dvd (so they have a hard copy of the game). Then they complain when they need to use this dvd to play the game.

If valve have put a copy of HL2 on a torrent its not like they are installing spyware on someones system cause from what ive read it bans them from steam when they go to create an account and activate the game.

 

Very true, people just want to moan for moanings sake on the whole (not that I was really) and have been waiting so long for the game that they'll grumble about anything.

I just can't see why once it's authenticated you can't just play it without the cd\dvd? Surely the piracy protection has done it's job then... The copy has been registered to you.

The thing with the whole steam install and authentication is just another attempt to prevent piracy and I'd bet a significant number of those people that are moaning would just have downloaded the Warez if they could! It's their fault software companies are driven to these lenghts in the first place.

I think I'd have done the same if I'd had been Valve and seen the fiasco with Doom3.

I think it logs the IP address as well. But surely their within their rights to identify those that are attempting to steal the software - even if them actualy releasing the Warez themselves does kind of seem like entrapment?!

 

i guess another reason why you need the cd is that you could use the same steam account to install the game on several pc's then use the offline mode to play the game on all the pc's. by needing the cd/dvd you can still only play the game on one pc at a time

 

Is there something that stops you doing that with the steam distribution?

 

i dont no, ive not noticed the offline mode on my steam dl version. i will check when i actually get to play the game. I dont no ive had the game since it was released and i aint played it yet as ive had to do decorating

all ive done in the game is get to teh bit where you run across the top of the roofs at the beginin.

 

I had preloaded the game through steam, but I went and bought the game from a shop. I was just going to enter my cd key but when I did it asked me to put my disk in the drive.

 

There probably isn't an off-line mode to the downloaded version then? Unless someone can confirm otherwise.

I guess the assumption is made that if you have a fast enough connection to actually download the game then it will always be on...

Edit: It gets much more involved from the roof top running in

 

thats what i thought. tonight shud be the night i get to play it , just gotta take a quick trip to GAME to get some essentials (the urbz for the misses to get her off the pc and urm underground2 )

then all i will need to decide is what im going to play,

GTA:SA, underground2 or HL2