# In which Gozu talks about online game distribution, Steam, Half-Life 2 and more **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 13, 2003, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-gozu-talks-about-online-game-distribution-steam-half-life-2-and-more/201361 "2003-09-13T06:19:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-gozu-talks-about-online-game-distribution-steam-half-life-2-and-more/201361/61 "2003-09-19T01:39:41Z")
Well, already did it, but I was completely unaware of any HL2 movies. I suppose they’re gone now, but I aint gonna miss what I never saw. Thanks **Apos**. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-gozu-talks-about-online-game-distribution-steam-half-life-2-and-more/201361/62 "2003-09-19T01:59:29Z")
They were taken off Steam because of their bandwidth crunch anyway. If you get any movie, get the HDR video they released (not on Steam) a few days ago, and beg beg beg for the lack of willpower and bad financial sense that would be necessary to buy a Radeon 9800Pro to get HDR and character spec/bump maps. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-gozu-talks-about-online-game-distribution-steam-half-life-2-and-more/201361/63 "2003-09-19T02:14:49Z")
No way on Earth I’m buying a new graphic card now; I’m unemployed. So I better not look at that movie and see what I’m missing! ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-gozu-talks-about-online-game-distribution-steam-half-life-2-and-more/201361/64 "2003-09-19T02:39:13Z")
Ah, it can’t hurt to peek at what we can’t have. 🙂 I was unemployed up until two weeks ago, and wringing my hands as to whether I’d be able to make rent, much less invest in a new game. But some temp agency came through, and now I have a job in which I get paid more than I EVER have before (or likely will for a long time)… for a job whose functions do not even require me to know how to read. So hang in there, good things’ll come. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-gozu-talks-about-online-game-distribution-steam-half-life-2-and-more/201361/65 "2003-09-19T02:46:44Z")
> [@](#): > > Is that because you’re not a consumer in this case, but rather an insider (that is, you profit along with the success with the producer)? I would think if you are associated with a Half-Life fan page, you’d be interested in a good balance between the interests of Valve and that of the gamers. I am a gaming fan who wants this game to be as free and accesible as possible so that its mod community can flourish, but I’m a person first, with my own opinions about what’s right and justified in the marketplace. I’m able to make a distinction between what I personally want and hope for, and what is okay for others to do. I WISH I could profit with HL2, but game design companies rarely have need for people trained to manage non-profits and do public policy research. Though, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to see if Valve could branch out into providing outreach services to the homeless. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-gozu-talks-about-online-game-distribution-steam-half-life-2-and-more/201361/66 "2003-09-19T02:54:14Z")
Thanks for the words of encouragement **Apos** , it’s good to hear about people landing on their feet. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-gozu-talks-about-online-game-distribution-steam-half-life-2-and-more/201361/67 "2003-09-19T11:27:20Z")
> [@](#): > > You rolled your eyes at me… but you and emarkp have STILL yet to cite a single law on point to cd authentication that we could even begin to compare to the situation with net authentication. Since at the time the discussionw as about CD protection, and that’s what the law says about that. Since we are basically saying we don’t like the morality of the STEAM plan, and don’t intend to buy it as such, what the hell’s your problem, Mr. Libertarian? ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-gozu-talks-about-online-game-distribution-steam-half-life-2-and-more/201361/68 "2003-09-19T12:22:25Z")
> [@](#): > > Since at the time the discussionw as about CD protection, and that’s what the law says about that. What is? Where do cite anything that’s on point to requiring cd authentication on a game being even slightly illegal? > [@](#): > > Since we are basically saying we don’t like the morality of the STEAM plan, and don’t intend to buy it as such, what the hell’s your problem, Mr. Libertarian? I don’t have a problem with you not buying it no matter how it works. I do have a problem an apparent inability to maintain a coherent discussion in which we stay on the same subject, and you provide cites for your claims instead of unreleated claims, and so forth. You are the one who started this line of discussion about the morality and legality of a certain practice, or don’t you recall? ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-gozu-talks-about-online-game-distribution-steam-half-life-2-and-more/201361/69 "2003-09-19T16:01:22Z")
Indeed, I think it will be immoral and unethical and illegal if they introduce the supposed practice. Since the law is some ime behind the State-Of-The Art, it may not be illegal, yet. And I think that certain other laws may have a bearing on the matter. Moreover, I hope that should sucha case come to court, it will result in a hudgement against STEAM and effectively create law. Since this is Cafe society rather than the Pit or GD, I’m not going to continue lest I fall into hatred of you. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-gozu-talks-about-online-game-distribution-steam-half-life-2-and-more/201361/70 "2003-09-20T00:33:31Z")
I simply cannot understand the point of view that requires your own personal wants be translated into legal restrictions on what two people can or cannot trade with each other, even when it doesn’t involve you. I too don’t want restrictions on things I buy, but that’s a demand I express through what I choose to buy, nto what I try to restrict other people from buying. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-gozu-talks-about-online-game-distribution-steam-half-life-2-and-more/201361/71 "2003-09-20T23:11:24Z")
Just a note: as things stand now, Steam-only launched games require a net connection only at start up, and as long as they have a full (or at least what is needed) cache of game data, they continue to play fine even after the net connection is disconnected. Still certainly not what people want, but progress from when the SP game would crash if there was a midgame disconnection. I’ve still yet to hear anything more that’s helpful as to the future, but I continue to predict that if you buy retail, the SP game will continue to work with the Cd in the drive even without a net connection, even after enabling steam. I doubt some people will like even that, but I’m not sure what else they plausibly expect. Anything less would allow a single purchase of steam to activate litterally millions of SP games (since a single SteamID entitles you to download the game as many times as you want, to as many computers as you want, using your ID to play the game on any computer with enough relevant content). ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-gozu-talks-about-online-game-distribution-steam-half-life-2-and-more/201361/72 "2003-10-24T23:18:20Z")
Nah nah, I was right: > [@](#): > > Offline/LAN play > Work on offline/LAN play is now nearing completion. To play any Steam game while not connected to the Internet it will only be necessary to let Steam finish downloading all of that game’s content, at which point you’ll be able to play games without connecting to Steam. from [http://www.steampowered.com](http://www.steampowered.com) in the news section ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-gozu-talks-about-online-game-distribution-steam-half-life-2-and-more/201361/73 "2003-10-25T00:02:56Z")
About time they came to their senses. Still, I’m not going buy HL2 until I have heard that people have successfully played online, and then successfully played single player while unconnected. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-gozu-talks-about-online-game-distribution-steam-half-life-2-and-more/201361/74 "2003-10-25T00:06:14Z")
And I hope they update this [http://www.steampowered.com/index.php?area=faq&id=1050915505,27362300,1050915714,91503900&support=yes](http://www.steampowered.com/index.php?area=faq&id=1050915505,27362300,1050915714,91503900&support=yes) : > [@](#): > > ``` > * Do I have to be connected to the Internet when I play Steam games? > > ``` > > The short answer is yes. > > All Steam-enabled games require you to be connected to the Internet in order to play. > > Note: some Steam-enabled single-player games (such as Half-Life 2) purchased at a retail store will allow offline play until the user decides to play online or enable other Steam functionality. From that point on, an Internet connection will be required. > > modified on July 9, 2003, 8:44 pm ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-gozu-talks-about-online-game-distribution-steam-half-life-2-and-more/201361/75 "2003-10-25T04:33:38Z")
As I noted, the FAQ wasn’t written by the devs, and a lot of it was confused and inaccurate. The news section, however, is written by Cook, an actual dev. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-gozu-talks-about-online-game-distribution-steam-half-life-2-and-more/201361/76 "2003-10-25T13:58:03Z")
Nevertheless, they need to update that FAQ. Until they do, I’m going to be wary enough to not spend my precious bucks until I’m 100 percent sure I’m not going to be in the situation where I want to play the game, but my cable modem is down again and I have to wait for it even though I’m only playing single player. It sure sounds like from that news item they addressed this issue, but I’ll be more comfortable when they change the FAQ. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-gozu-talks-about-online-game-distribution-steam-half-life-2-and-more/201361.md?page=3)