View Full Version : HL2 (or something else?) question
I'm just finishing my new PC (in the sig) and I want to try out some games. I got HL2 as part of the deal on an AIW 9600. I never got very far because I just don't have much time to game these days.
I'd like to try playing it on the new system but I want to keep from installing a whole bunch of obnoxious crap and that's what I considered the Steam concept to be. Is there a way of running HL2 without that installing Steam? If not, then it just won't be installed and I'll go for a game that isn't obnoxious.
I always liked RPG games, such as Bard's Tale, Krondor (the first one), and Diablo. In fact, I still have Diablo2 installed on my laptop and play it whenever I head out of town, which is not too often.
So, the question is, can HL2 be played without the online stuff or if not, what good RPG type game is recommended? Single user is most important because I simply don't have time for the online worlds.
petteyg359
03-19-06, 01:37 PM
Steam isn't obnoxious. It's just annoying at times. I don't know why so many people overreact so much to little bugs...
Steam isn't obnoxious. It's just annoying at times. I don't know why so many people overreact so much to little bugs...
I simply don't like things that keep connecting to home base. I don't like things that keep track of what I do and report it to Central. Nor things that run all the time whether I need them or not.
I want to play a game, not have my movements tracked, and not have my cycles stolen.
stuperhero
03-19-06, 04:17 PM
well you need to instal steam and connect one time then you can choose to play offline .
Celeron_Phreak
03-19-06, 04:26 PM
I agree, Steam is the most annoying thing to hit PC gaming as of recently. I just deal with it. I don't play anything Steam releated very much because of it though.
I agree, Steam is the most annoying thing to hit PC gaming as of recently. I just deal with it. I don't play anything Steam releated very much because of it though.
Oh good. What do you play?
petteyg359
03-19-06, 07:11 PM
I simply don't like things that keep connecting to home base. I don't like things that keep track of what I do and report it to Central. Nor things that run all the time whether I need them or not.
I want to play a game, not have my movements tracked, and not have my cycles stolen.
Geez you're paranoid. Click the exit button and it stops running. And it has about 0% CPU usage. It doesn't make the game run any slower than it would without Steam.
Celeron_Phreak
03-19-06, 09:45 PM
I play Far Cry, Call of Duty: United Offensive, Call of Duty 2, Quake 4, F.E.A.R., Doom 3. Something that's recent but not intrusive. :)
Geez you're paranoid. Click the exit button and it stops running. And it has about 0% CPU usage. It doesn't make the game run any slower than it would without Steam.
And what is the purpose of it? Why can every other single player game manage to run without needing to call home?
I am concerned about privacy issues; we're losing our privacy to corporations and the government at an astonishing rate. It does bother me and it should bother you.
I play Far Cry, Call of Duty: United Offensive, Call of Duty 2, Quake 4, F.E.A.R., Doom 3. Something that's recent but not intrusive. :)
Alright, I'll see what's available at the next PC Fair.
[SaS]hornet
03-20-06, 05:29 PM
theres nothing wrong with steam. i think its a great program, ok, can be annoying when its updating and you wanna play, but other than that, no complaints here. if u dont want it running, switch it off. you will be missing alot if u dont install it
mrgreenjeans
03-20-06, 05:47 PM
I'll take steam all day vs. having to get up and switch disks everytime I want to play a game. If I could register all my games to play via steam, I would. Well, I gotta get up and put the FarCry disk in so I can play a game I paid for.
SolidxSnake
03-20-06, 06:18 PM
Steam is FINE. it is REDICULOUS with all the paranoia about it. there's a little something called OFFLINE MODE. Sign on once, authenticate your HL2 copy... then disconnect the internet from your laptop/desktop, and then exit/restart steam, and BAM. offline mode.
it really isn't that hard :shrug:
oso_fast
03-20-06, 06:44 PM
i gotta say...steam is a real good system...i never have to worry about losing my game if i lose my cds i just connect and i can dl all the games i have...however i can see how its a inconvinence for people without internet...
I'll take steam all day vs. having to get up and switch disks everytime I want to play a game. If I could register all my games to play via steam, I would. Well, I gotta get up and put the FarCry disk in so I can play a game I paid for.
You could just install a "no cd" crack and u dont need any cd no more. Its the easiest way. I use it all the time.
I kinds like steam but if they fix some things then it is very good. You can go anywhere and play your games. Its very nice.
SolidxSnake
03-20-06, 07:41 PM
You could just install a "no cd" crack and u dont need any cd no more. Its the easiest way. I use it all the time.
I kinds like steam but if they fix some things then it is very good. You can go anywhere and play your games. Its very nice.
No-CD cracks are considered warez, and are therefore illegal. Whether you own the game or not, still illegal.
Celeron_Phreak
03-20-06, 08:01 PM
If no-cd cracks were illegal, megagames and GCW wouldn't have been around for so many years. They would have been shutdown years ago. They are both publicly well known websites which do not host any illegal material of any sort. They are strongly against it, actually.
SolidxSnake
03-20-06, 08:15 PM
If no-cd cracks were illegal, megagames and GCW wouldn't have been around for so many years. They would have been shutdown years ago. They are both publicly well known websites which do not host any illegal material of any sort. They are strongly against it, actually.
Even still, if you don't want to play with CD's, virtual drives should suffice
Celeron_Phreak
03-20-06, 08:41 PM
That's essentially the same thing as a no-CD crack. You arn't using the retail disc to play the game, and using third party software to play the game. Plus a virtual drive takes up extra space on the HD because you have to have an image of the original disc on your drive.
besides, you dont need the CD for HL2.... :-/
You could just install a "no cd" crack and u dont need any cd no more. Its the easiest way. I use it all the time...
I did that with Diablo2. I paid for it and want to be able to run it without needing to insert the disk each time. I'm a software developer and I fully support people being paid for their work, but it has to be balanced.
besides, you dont need the CD for HL2.... :-/
But that appears to be the tradeoff. Either some online scheme to verify that you have the right to play the game or you need an actual CD to play.
I took the time and read the posts...
Steam is a content delivery system UNLIKE anything the industry has seen before, and is highly regarded by many industry folks as the future of gaming distro.
Steam not only delivers content, but cuts out the Publisher. Do you know what Publishers do to games? And game release dates? (Remember Valve vs. Vivendi?)
-----
Warning: Use of Narcotics with Steam may induce Paranoia.
Vance S
03-21-06, 11:42 AM
I understand when people are worried about their online privacy. I know I am. But Steam is just a video game delivery system. It's nothing that the government or some evil corporation runs. Valve is pretty trusted in this business of gaming. I would imagine if there was some kind of privacy issue with Steam it would have already been made public by now because of how many people use Steam and for how long it's been in use.
Ok, all my friends here seem to think it's ok so perhaps I'll back down a bit. But on the other hand, here comes Oblivion. Perhaps I should just get that and give it a try.
I just bought HL2:GOTY Edition last night, and found the Steam thing a bit annoying. It's taking way too long to load, and want to play it straight off of my discs. Do I have to disable/remove my broadband connection everytime to do so?
SolidxSnake
03-25-06, 10:16 AM
I just bought HL2:GOTY Edition last night, and found the Steam thing a bit annoying. It's taking way too long to load, and want to play it straight off of my discs. Do I have to disable/remove my broadband connection everytime to do so?
If you're really that paranoid then yes.
Just play the damn game with an internet connection. Millions of others do, nothing bad happens.
Just play the damn game with an internet connection. Millions of others do, nothing bad happens.
I'm not paranoid, the problem is that the load times are taking up to a minute. I figured that If I was playing off of the disc, then all that would be avoided?
Janus67
03-25-06, 10:41 AM
no, you can't play off of the disc from what I understand. Steam is used to update your game for you and when it finishes then you can just start playing. Not sure why loadtimes are up to a minute unless your PC is a little on the slow side or it is loading a large map/level.
I agree with everyone here. I have been using Steam since Beta. It has helped the online community far more than hurt it. Of course it makes it more difficult for those with 56k, or nearly impossible for those with no internet at all. They did it to cover their butts to prevent piracy, and I applaud them for that. They aren't infringing on your privacy, unless you are paranoid about using the keytag scanners are grocery stores etc too so you don't get sales...
vBulletin® v3.8.7, Copyright ©2000-2012, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.