did this game REALLY release one day ????

Steam is outside of Malfador's control, and rather messed up.

It kinda-works, but its one of the STUPIDEST approaches to copy control I've ever seen.

There are 10 types of people in the world:

Those that understand binary, and those that don't.

I like the steam distribution model. I don't have to have a decoder wheel or starforce drivers or some number code on a CD jewel case on the bottom of my closet floor. If I have to reinstall I don't need to dig out a CD/DVD I just pull up steam and download it again.

Companies get the security for their intelletual property they deserve and it dosn't interfere with my gaming experience. I haven't had any issues with steam though, even if I did I think the model is a pretty good one even if the execution where to falter.

I hate steam. When the company goes down, I won't have a game. And the way the behave when someone gets used stuff -- through no fault of their own -- is totally inapropriate.

There are 10 types of people in the world:

Those that understand binary, and those that don't.

We all know that copy protection is, ultimately, useless. It was dropped in the '80s and it is being dropped again. Look at Relic/THQ's Company of Heroes. That game requires no CD to run. Sure, enter the serial is about it, but you don't feel like a thief with the inability to perform basic copying on your computer due to StarForce and similar protections.

Rilbur is right: Steam is hateful. When it goes bye-bye so do your games.

Steam also prevents you from selling your games or buying used games that rely on Steam.

Personally, I don't see any problems with Steam. Sure if it goes down you're fucked, but seriously, what are the chances of that happening in the near future? Valve aren't about to kick the bucket yet I don't think.

The main problem with StarForce is/was that it's drivers could actually cause certain types of CD drives to cease functioning, even if they were not causing a problem. Hence why it got retired. It was also driving gamers up the wall with various other issues such as the verification.

Another game with nada copy protection is Galactic Civilisations 2. If you buy it, you get a code that allows you to certify that you bought it, allowing you to actually redownload it from anywhere.

~~
"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
-
Friedrich Nietzsche

Valve may not go under today, but I bet you steam will go under before I quit playing half-life 2.

There are 10 types of people in the world:

Those that understand binary, and those that don't.

Precisely! I'd hate to be a marketing rep. or one of the corporate officers for Valve, EA or Fileplanet when they decide to go belly-up due to lack of interest in the market. I can think of nothing that can P!$$ off people quicker than for some idiot to arbitrarily deprive them of content that they paid good money to own! I can smell the lawsuits in the air already.

And before the few dime store lawyers out there begin trying to read parts of a EULA out of context back to me, I would direct them to research common law first (doesn't matter whether it's European, American or Canadian common law, all treat this catagory of intellectual property the same). Software is treated in the same way a book, CD, DVD or videotape is. When you buy a legitimate copy, you are entitled to freely use it for the rest of time, period. There are no provisions anywhere for some dork in a suit to decide when you have used it for long enough. Seems there are some basic constitutional issues that keep them from doing that.

I love the smell of burning lawyers in the morning,.. it smells like.. money!
Sincerely,
Kahn

Every time I hear people railing against Steam, they always bring up the "What happens if Steam goes out of business" argument. That is a valid concern, but it's not what would worry me.

Think about their business model. You buy a game through Steam, and then you can download and install it on your machine. This requires storage space on their servers for the game and its patches, and they have to buy enough bandwidth to support all those downloads. For this they get a one time fee from you. Once everyone who wants a copy of a game (say Halflife 2) has purchased one, they stop making money on it, and it becomes a drain on their resources. So tell me then, as soon as Halflife 3 comes out, what reason do they have to continue supporting Halflife 2? If I recall correctly their license agreement specifically states that they can terminate support at any time... No folks, Steam won't go out of business, but 20 years from now you still won't be able to install and play your classic games regardless.

I have seen several great multiplayer games suffer the same fate. They required a central server, and once the publisher lost interest, the server was taken offline and now you can't play them anymore, more's the pity.

bIlujlaHbe'chugh bIqaplaHbe'

just buy the dang cd and support a great one man gaming underdog

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Now get the hell out of our galaxy! -Captn Sherridan

I installed SEIV from the original disk, then promptly lost the original disk and install code. When I got a new computer I just burned a new CD out of the files from the base folder of SEIV and then on to the new computer... It works just fine...

Still don't know where that original CD went!

SEV, more than a feeling.

A version will be released in the UK soon, a French/German version is planned for Q2 release.

I fully agree with Rilbur about Steam, to me this way of doing business really sucks, and I hope it will never become the standard way for distributing softwares and goods in general. Just imagine having to connect your car to the internet every time you want to start the engine

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Feel lucky earthling ?

buy the game at best buys or something stay away from steam. steam product are attact to there server and stuff. this game is tough enough without being married to anther service. steam has messed me up more times then i can count with different games . buyer beware!!

This is an ancient thread,why re-open it?