Homoludens Posted July 15, 2003 Share Posted July 15, 2003 Okay, this Steam thing seems pretty solid. I just played through the first moments of Half-Life, then jumped into a multiplayer deathmatch in HL Classic (complete with real time voicechat - I distinctly heard people talking in Japanese!), and then finally watched the G Man movie (Bink format - next best thing to actual in-engine). It really seems quite good overall! You have to download the Steam client first (get it from Gamer's Hell, Gamespot, etc.). After installing it you can go into the game menu. During the free trial they're offering the original Half-Life, Opposing Force, Counter-Strike (latest version), Team Fortress Classic, Deathmatch Classic, HL Ricochet, some dedicated servers, and the G Man movie. I don't think I'll be able to afford to subscribe, but the whole thing looks promising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamandMax Posted July 15, 2003 Share Posted July 15, 2003 How long is the free trial? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homoludens Posted July 16, 2003 Author Share Posted July 16, 2003 Steam really is free as an online service: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS QUESTIONS, ANSWERS, TROUBLESHOOTING... STEAM BASICS Is Steam really free? Yes, Steam is really free. Steam also provides access to several free products and services, like the dedicated game server, instant messaging, the game server browser, etc. And if you've already bought Half-Life or one of the other Half-Life family of games, several add-ons are available via Steam for no extra cost. After installing Steam, check your "Games" list to see what's available. Looks like some of Valve's old titles can be played, as long as you've got the client installed, with Valve reserving the right to post which stuff you can get for free. How thoughtful of them. Of course, new products (such as Half-Life 2) must be purchased before you can play. To answer your question, SamandMax, I suspect that Valve will excercise their prerogative to choose which products/services will be free. All we know at the moment is that you can play all the goodies I listed above. As for new products (like Half-Life 2) you'll have to pay for them, of course. Also, you'll need to meet or exceed these system reqs for Steam: Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP 256 MB RAM 1.0 Ghz processor 1GB HD space (strongly recommended) Broadband Internet connection (128kb/s or higher strongly recommended) Unfortunately you must have broadband connection. You must be online for the entire gaming session, because the game will constantly be streaming as you play. This is why you must have broadband connection. And this is one reason for which I prefer to buy HL2 as a cd-rom instead playing it via Steam, in case my connection happens to be down and I'm in the mood to play with Gordon, Alyx, and Barney. Don't get Steam if you have a dialup connection. And yes, in the single player games, you can save your progress, it's so effortless as to feel like you're playing off a cd-rom anyway. My first Steam session was wonderful, elegant, effortless. Within minutes I was 'tramming' through Black Mesa after re-acquainting myself with the hazard suit training course (that holographic woman's voice is sooo comforting somehow). I then proceeded to jump into a Team Fortress match without missing a beat (or even going back to desktop). Then I went back to HL and did some deathmatch - wooHOO! lots of fun! Finally, for dessert, I viewed the ridiculously high res G Man movie for HL2. It was in Bink format, full screen - the next best thing to the actual in-game engine! Man, he looked so realistic it was creepy. I did all this with practically no effort, just clicking on the little 'games' menu. This is definitely promising as far as an alternative way of gaming and accessing software and updates, and I can see it becoming very popular. Still, I don't think it'll eradicate the 'realness' of software in physical form. I will purchase the actual Half-Life 2 game in cd-rom when it comes out - I want to feel the game in my hands, want to know that I don't necessarily need to be online to play it. Still, I really think Steam is a great alternative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingzjester Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 Hey! Another Half-Life thread! This is as good a place to say this: remember on ye olde foryme when I said that there actually is a place called City 17 in Russia? Well, there is also a Black Mesa in Arizona. It is a coal mine some 150 miles from Flagstaff. In their spare time, the miners kill aliens there. And speaking of Half-Life fugues, as Trep delicately put it a while ago, Gearbox's efforts, though fun and worthy of the Half-Life name, are not as polished as the original game. The textures look almost half-assed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aranolorion Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 with my bb arriving, ive gotten steam - looks excellent, cant wait to dl halflife2! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homoludens Posted July 31, 2003 Author Share Posted July 31, 2003 I just watched the latest HL2 Bink format movie, "Tunnels". Sweet Lawd Baby Jeezus, it is flat out devastating, like stepping inside a beautifully illustrated action movie, but you're the leading character. Highly recommended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.