Half-Life 2; If Steam, then why the CD-Protection?

[BWZeus]

No one seems to be really frustrated about the CD-Protection for Half-Life 2. Everyone seems to be PO'd at Steam for various reasons (some of which I agree and others disagree). But with Steam trying to be this end all authentication tool I see an irritating issue. The fact one can buy Half-Life 2 online and burn a non-protected CD(s) using only steam for a verification/protection method is not too bad (I know there are issues but thats not this rant). So why is it that if I buy a retail version I get screwed and not only have to authenticate through Steam but I have to keep the first CD in the drive to authenticate through securerom methods?

The way this should work is that I install the game, authenticate through steam (again not this topic), pack the CD's up, and play Half-Life 2 or Couter Strike Source at my leasure without CD's.

But it doesn't.

I don't see the purpose of forcing me to keep the disc in the drive to play a game that may as well have been a box containing a piece of paper with a code on it. The code and the account you create is all that should be required to play a game on Steam not the CD. They might as well hand out discs for free and sell codes! The disc should NOT be needed other than to install the game why do I have to keep the darn thing in the drive! It makes no sense at all! I have a valid account and I should be able to play anywhere. I bought this right from Valve.
But I bought the retail version so I have to take the cd's along with me to verify I still have those precious discs.
As far as protection methods are concerned, Securerom is a protection method, Steam is a more powerful one (again, not this rant) and as long as I am verified via Steam why must Securerom annoy me as well?

I am so frustrated I don't even like to load the game up. I constantly have to find the disc. I only have a single DVD Drive in my system, I can't leave the disc in the drive all the time since I use it constantly.

By the way I have lurked in these forums for years now and I actually registered to rant about this to someone. I hope someone is as irritated about the cd protection as I am.

Mysery Loves Company.

BTW
Can anyone post an address to send Valve a letter of frustration??

 

[thelanx]

That does sound a bit unfair, that people who buy it are inconvenienced more. Perhaps they are trying to encourage people to buy from steam rather than in store from Vivendi? I think Vivendi might be interested in your complaint more than Valve.

 

[clicknext]

To make matters worse, I bet trying a no-cd crack would you get banned from Steam.

 

[erikistired]

yeah i think it's a vivendi thing rather than valve since vivendi distributes the cd version.

 

[BWZeus]

Looks like I need to find an address to Vivendi then...

If I had know about the way this worked from the beggining I may very well have bought the online version.

 

[xSkyDrAx]

Lalalal get over it.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: fisher
yeah i think it's a vivendi thing rather than valve since vivendi distributes the cd version.

Most likely.

Something equally strange: I bought the game Retail, Installed it. My Nephew has a Code from an ATI vidcard purchase, but he didn't want to download off Steam. So we decided to just Install from the Retail disks and use his code, not really knowing if it would work. It did and he doesn't need the CD to play either(took a few days before we realized this )

It seems to me Steam Enables/Disables CD checking depending on the Code used. I hope they disable it at some point or at least allow No-CD cracks.

 

[jonn]

i got tired of having to hunt the cd and played around with different ways to not use it, i still have to be online to start game and use steam, but i burned a image file of disk 1 to HD after i installed it with Alcohol 120, and just mount that in a virtual drive, not much better but cuts out wear and tear on cd.
I too hate they way you have to do crap to play the game, really it sucks big time..

 

[XBoxLPU]

whatever

You should have bought it off steam

 

[Davegod]

you can install from the HL2 disks, auth etc with steam, and then download the steam HL2 client and not need the disks. I dont know WHY they didnt simply put that HL2 client on the disks in the first place, or more to the point bother with the cd check even when they didnt, but there you go - HL2 from retail with no cd check and no concerns about havign steam accounts banned.

 

[Algere]

Originally posted by: Davegod
you can install from the HL2 disks, auth etc with steam, and then download the steam HL2 client and not need the disks.

Unfortunately that doesn't work. Ppl who registered their store bought retail CD/DVD keys with Steam still get the "CD/DVD required" version if they so decided to DL from Steam. Which brings up something else I don't get. Why would Steam allow retail CD/DVD HL2 buyers to DL a copy when the DL'd version a retail buyer would get from Steam requires a disc to play as well?

1) Lost/damaged disc(s) (only applies to the minority of ppl who didn't lose/damage CD 1).

2) Want to install HL2 on another computer or computers with no immediate access to HL2 CD's/DVD (not really that convenient since yet again; disc required to play).

 

[spacelord]

The NO-CD method is working for me. Hopefully they don't ban me or trigger something bad on steam because of it. I use my CD-ROM too much for multiple things that I don't want to leave the CD in the drive at all times, or hunt it down when I need it.

 

[otispunkmeyer]

buy 2 cd drives

 

[BWZeus]

Originally posted by: jonn
i got tired of having to hunt the cd and played around with different ways to not use it, i still have to be online to start game and use steam, but i burned a image file of disk 1 to HD after i installed it with Alcohol 120, and just mount that in a virtual drive, not much better but cuts out wear and tear on cd.
I too hate they way you have to do crap to play the game, really it sucks big time..

I doesn't look for mounted images like this?
That would be way better, I just thought it would ban my account or something for trying that.

I going to have to try that client thing to, though Algere brings up a good point why would they let you download it and then require the CD?

I'll see how this goes...

 

[Davegod]

Originally posted by: Algere
Unfortunately that doesn't work. Ppl who registered their store bought retail CD/DVD keys with Steam still get the "CD/DVD required" version if they so decided to DL from Steam. Which brings up something else I don't get. Why would Steam allow retail CD/DVD HL2 buyers to DL a copy when the DL'd version a retail buyer would get from Steam requires a disc to play as well?

1) Lost/damaged disc(s) (only applies to the minority of ppl who didn't lose/damage CD 1).

2) Want to install HL2 on another computer or computers with no immediate access to HL2 CD's/DVD (not really that convenient since yet again; disc required to play).

hmm, bummer.

does it still not work if you remove steam & HL2, then reinstall just steam and then login? You're supposed to be able to then download any/all of the games your steam account knows you have. Thats the way I'm told it works.

Even if that does work it's something of a farce, mind you.

 

[Unforgiven]

i still dont get why the hell you HAVE to have an internet connection to install and run a game?!? that shouldnt have anything to do with it and they should have the option to use steam to authenticate or to phone a support number to have it activated. really stupid move on valve's part imo. having to put the cd into the drive every time is a bitch and hopefully will be patched. i mean $hit, there were 4.5 gigs of crap installed on my hd and i STILL need a cd to play?!? gimme a break! :|

 

[Abhoth]

Could it be that game companies and developers are just tired of having their games ripped off......... naaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, that can't be it!?

 

[Slogun]

BWZeus, I fully agree with you.
I bought a steam version AND a retail version, one for myself and one for my son because I wasn't sure which method would be better and we both wanted HL2 and anticipated many years of online play from this game ala HL1.

I DO like HL2, but I will think twice in the future about buying a game that is set up through steam or such similar activation schemes.

I think the fact that the retail consumer has to keep using the CD is B$%%SH*T

Yes, the publisher has a right to protect their wares, but the consumer has their choice as well...NOT TO BUY!

 

[JBT]

point your fingure at Vivendi about needing the CD. Though I'm not sure why everyone is so mad.. almost all games require the CD just buying of steam give you the benifit of not. Either way all of the retail buyers should still be able to load the game up using daemon tools or alchohol 120.

 

[Algere]

Originally posted by: Davegod
hmm, bummer.

does it still not work if you remove steam & HL2, then reinstall just steam and then login?

I assume it won't work from a clean install. Why my assumption? well from what I've gathered from the Steam forums, among others. I'd imagine if that was an option it would've been explored & mentioned by now and/or someone from Valve would've released some statement [on their forums or elsewhere] saying it was possible as they've done in the past for other issues related to HL2 and/or Steam.

 

[BWZeus]

Originally posted by: JBT
point your fingure at Vivendi about needing the CD. Though I'm not sure why everyone is so mad.. almost all games require the CD just buying of steam give you the benifit of not. Either way all of the retail buyers should still be able to load the game up using daemon tools or alchohol 120.

I know that all current games need CD's to play, I'm upset simply because I have to deal with CD's in the drive in addition to Steam. Steam could be nice in the sense where (in the future) I would only need to remember my Username/password and I could play the game anywhere I have an internet connection. If Steam didn't exist I could understand the need for the CD protection, but Steam is all that should be needed being that the game is downloadable.

BTW Abhoth, Steam protects the game already, CD protection or not. Why retail consumers got the shaft is my issue...

 

[Algere]

Originally posted by: JBT
point your fingure at Vivendi about needing the CD. Though I'm not sure why everyone is so mad.. almost all games require the CD just buying of steam give you the benifit of not. Either way all of the retail buyers should still be able to load the game up using daemon tools or alchohol 120.

Well there's...

"Why do I (retail buyer) need a disc to play HL2 when someone who bought their copy off Steam doesn't?"
"Why do I have to jump through all these hoops to play HL2?"
"I find using a disc to play HL2 redundant when there's already an anti-piracy scheme (Steam) in place"

I doubt it's the disc requirement that's bugging ppl alone but the combination of both Steam and Securom as one can imagine. As for Daemon Tools, I've heard a new release is in the works to circumvent HL2 detection of D-Tools.

EDIT: And/or what BWZeus said. :thumbsup:

 

[jiffylube1024]

Steam plus a CD is excessive, and I can see why it's annoying. Life's a bitch...

 

[jonn]

I just found out you dont, once you have steam running, any updates downloaded, you just close steam, DONT LOG OUT , just close it, disconnect your computer from the phone line (unplug the cable to computer)
restart steam, you should then have a, start in "OFFLINE MODE" button.
I did it, it works fine.

 

[Slogun]

Originally posted by: jonn
I just found out you dont, once you have steam running, any updates downloaded, you just close steam, DONT LOG OUT , just close it, disconnect your computer from the phone line (unplug the cable to computer)
restart steam, you should then have a, start in "OFFLINE MODE" button.
I did it, it works fine.

Offline mode still requires the CD in the drive for retail versions...this is no improvement.