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Thread: HL2 Already In Gamers Hands

  1. #16
    PC Aficionado MJCfromCT's Avatar
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    Hopefully by the time you get to play, Valve will have their plan for giving those without internet connections the ability to play. However up until this point, the fact that they haven't has cut down on piracy majorly...less than a day before the release and it hasn't been "cracked" yet...*knock on wood*

  2. #17
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    It was cracked just like every other game has been. Remember, if it's made of zeros and ones it can be cracked. Simple as that. C.O.R.E. did it 24 hours after the release. If you think not, you're wrong.

  3. #18
    PC Aficionado MJCfromCT's Avatar
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    Well seeing as this thread is a week old, then yes, it has been cracked in the past 7 days . That being said, it was not crackable until it was released retail, which is more than any other game can say, so kudos to valve anyways.

  4. #19
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    aren't you forgetting last year?

  5. #20
    PC Aficionado MJCfromCT's Avatar
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    ...there is a difference between cracking a game and stealing source code.

  6. #21
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    my point is that no game is safe. I understand that there is a difference in how illegal copies came to be, however, an illegal copy of half-life 2(at the time is was almost finished according to newell) was about one year ago. That is MUCH worse than Doom 3 and GTA: San Andreas combined.

  7. #22
    Senior Member Vitalka's Avatar
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    Originally posted by maje87c
    my point is that no game is safe. I understand that there is a difference in how illegal copies came to be, however, an illegal copy of half-life 2(at the time is was almost finished according to newell) was about one year ago. That is MUCH worse than Doom 3 and GTA: San Andreas combined.
    finished?!?! Ha-ha-ha i laugh at you if you believed him. The only thing that was finished in the game was the engine it self, the rest was only 25% done. I saw the leaked version, most of the levels didn't even have any textures or enemies in them.

  8. #23
    Member Kandar's Avatar
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    I don't agree with software that won't let you use it until it’s been authorized.

    As far as I am concerned it was authorized when I handed over my hard earned cash.
    I don't like being messed about with stupid copy protection rubbish that only serves to annoy the legitimate paying customer.

    I'll get the copy protection free crack thank you very much.
    These companies cut their own throats and drive genuine customers away.

    Bring down the price and you wouldn't have a problem.

  9. #24
    PC Aficionado MJCfromCT's Avatar
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    Why do people advertise on a public forum where their IP's are logged that they will do something illegal such as cracking a game? This isn't a copy protection method either, its a way of preventing illegal version from being used in the first place, not to mention that Vivendi would have sued valve if they opened up the authentication servers before the retail version was on store shelves.

  10. #25
    Member Kandar's Avatar
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    I have no problem with Valve knowing what I think. I’ll tell them myself.
    Don’t bother tracing MY IP, ask me, I’ll tell you.

    And just for the record I don't intend cracking anything. I don't actually agree with software piracy. I’ll buy the game, but I won’t be registering anything.
    I believe that it’s only right and fair that a company receives payment for its produce.
    I expect to be paid for my work. The same goes for them too.
    However, there is a demand for pirated material because the prices for the genuine article are needlessly too high.
    Software houses, record companies, etc, etc spend Millions on developing new systems to protect their products and succeed only in aggravating the paying customers.
    CD’s for example that won’t work in your car. I purchased Cubase SX2 music creation software and was highly annoyed to find that it would not allow me to use the product until it could connect to the Internet. Now why would a computer in a recording studio need web access? It didn’t even have the TCP/IP protocol installed.
    Needless to say, it works now.

    Most forms of copy protection have usually been cracked before the product even makes it to the shelves.
    So I say stop wasting money developing protection that’s going to end up being ripped out anyway. Because you can’t beat the hackers, they are more dedicated and focused than you and the harder the challenge the more they like it. If they lower the prices they would remove the demand. Most people would rather buy a genuine article than a copy.

  11. #26
    PC Aficionado MJCfromCT's Avatar
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    What you described is exactly what valve has done.

    http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=19642

    If the games industry really wants to combat piracy, it should take a leaf out of Valve's book. Establish one worldwide release date, don't stagger for different territories. Keep a tight check on where you're sending code, and drop outdated CD copy protection technology as the only check on piracy - use an online 'switch' to activate copies of the game. Keep gamers happy by keeping them equal - isn't that just common sense?

  12. #27
    Member Kandar's Avatar
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    I agree that it’s a good idea to have one release date and tightly control the code until your ready to go.

    But that’s only going to stop the game from leaking before they let it out.
    It won't stop the pirates from ripping the "call home" activation out of it once it’s in the shops.

    The inflated price tag is at the very core of what drives piracy. Lowering the price will mean that more people will buy it rather than buying a pirate copy.
    Sure there’s always going to be a hardcore of people that won’t pay for anything. That’s just the way of things.

    I myself don’t like intrusive programs that won’t work until you provide your life details.
    I removed windows XP in favor of a "tamed" version because it wanted me to re-authorize every time I changed something.
    Last edited by Kandar; 11-21-2004 at 09:20 PM.

  13. #28
    PC Aficionado MJCfromCT's Avatar
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    Keep in mind that new games have budgets that rival movies, costing millions of dollars to produce, hence high prices for the end user, and yes, they are inflated due to piracy, but then again, everything is inflated due to people not doing the right thing. Things at an electronics store are have inflated prices due to shoplifting, insurance rates are higher than they can be due to insurance fraud, etc.

    In this case, however, steam is attempting to curb piracy, and is doing quite well, with the cracked version of CS: S being blocked from steam servers and the dummy version of HL2 which valve put out. They are attempting to make it more difficult than it is worth for the average person, and they are succeeding IMO. Steam itself doesn't need your SSN, blood type, and next of kin, just an e-mail address, an internet connection, and a legal copy of one of valve's games.

    Also, can you explain more about your "tamed" windows XP?

  14. #29
    Member Kandar's Avatar
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    Originally posted by MJCfromCT
    Also, can you explain more about your "tamed" windows XP?
    A version that doesn't throw a fit after a few changes to the hardware.

    I have no wish to contact Microsoft. not now, not in the future, not ever, not for anything.

    My software isn't going to either.

  15. #30
    Member Kandar's Avatar
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    I buy games but I always feel like the assistant should be wearing a mask and brandishing a pistol as they take my money.

    There was a movement in the UK that was urging people not to buy games for any format at Christmas time. They claim that a game that sells for £40 - £45 often costs less than £1 to put on the shelves.
    Their claim is that the games industry was being greedy by making HUGE profits on every game sold and by reducing the cost of new titles to a more reasonable price of £20 they would encourage people to spend where they may have simply purchased or downloaded a pirated copy.
    Their market research showed that most people would buy more games more often instead of just buying the big name releases if the prices where more reasonable which would lead to a greater profit for the games industry whilst removing the demand for pirate copies. Unfortunatley people are thick and don't listen so nothing happend.

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