<div class="IPBDescription">What does it do?</div> Can someone please tell me exactly what Steam would do for this game and what it does already for games like TFC and CS? Thanks.
STEAM is a broadband download utility. It is developed by Valve so they can update Half-Life and all supported MOD's without the user doing anything. If it works properly, when you first a connect to a game server like TFC or CS you download all the updates available for that MOD. Eventually Valve wants to distribute whole games over STEAM (CS:CZ being the first). So developers could essentially cut out the publishers (EA, Activation, Sierra), keeping all the profits for themselves, only a small royalty goes to Valve. This also mean that the developers have complete control over new content, so if Valve wanted to change all the skins in CS to bunny rabbits and cute puppies then they could, and nobody could stop them, except a lot of angery, abusive, childish CS'ers.
HL, TFC, CS, and DOD all get updates from STEAM. But since NS is not an "official" Valve sponsored MOD (yet), we get no updates for NS from STEAM.
Steam will "upgrade" your TFC to version "2.0" (Its really 1.6, but Steam calls it 2.0 for some reason.). The new TFC just has some new maps, changed 2nd point in dustbowl, and engies can build teleporters.
Steam also "upgrades" your CS to version 1.6. Nothing is really different in 1.6, except that you get some new weapons, some tweaks to the old ones, 2 or 3 name changes on the weapons, and a riot shield for the CTs. (It costs 1000$. You cannot shoot while "using" it. You cannot have a primary weapon. The knife takes forever to "fire". It protects A LOT of your body, but some bullets can still go though it and people can shoot your feet.)
Also, you don't need to already have CS or TFC installed on your machine. It downloads it automaticly.
Its has a NICE interface. And by nice i mean 99999999 times better than the current one. You can talk through the ingame buddy list while playing CS or waiting to spawn etc, you can play chess and checkers with people on the buddy list, and all other kinds of neat utilities. Unfortunatly after its "real" release it will be PAY to play.
You would be paying a monthly fee for everything steam supports. You would always have the first betas (essentially you would be a playtester for every mod) and you would get updates automatically. (including new models, maps etc.)
Basically its a fancy way to play HL that really isnt worth paying for.
So, the mother of all questions: Will i be able to play HL like now? (ie for free(except payments for the yellow piece o'crap (you wont understand this, but others from my land do)))
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Unfortunatly after its "real" release it will be PAY to play. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Don't spread that rumor. There is NO truth to it. If you own a Valve product, you can use Steam for free. In fact, you can download Steam for free whether you have their products or not. However, if you didn't have one of their products, you could pay to download one through Steam.
Steam will be released before or at the release of CS:Condition Zero which will solely use Steam.
This is assuming it all goes to plan and Valve doesn't abandon it.
I read somewhere something about Steam being allowing you to connect to a Valve server and run HL off that machine, through a broadbnd connection, even without you having HL on the client. I think this might have been a "coming soon" feature, if it exists at all. I also remember something about having to pay money for this feature. But I've probably got completely the wrong end of the Skulk.
<!--QuoteBegin--LambdaProject+Feb 19 2003, 10:02 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (LambdaProject @ Feb 19 2003, 10:02 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Were can you download this beta? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Well, since a flood of people used it vavle removed the link form thier main site. But if you look hard enough you might be able to find it *wink wink* try www.k3v.com
Heh... the Shields in CS 1.6 Beta are kinda funny! Especially when some newbie runs at you thinking they're invincible and you put an AWP bullet right through the shields windows and through his/her left eyeball.
<!--QuoteBegin--||SemperFi||+Feb 18 2003, 07:52 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (||SemperFi|| @ Feb 18 2003, 07:52 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> HL will always be free. And you will be able to play with people on STEAM. They just have a fancier version than you. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Nice, i was getting bit scared, almost started naming Sierra faschistic b!tches.
DY357LXPlaying since day 1. Still can't Comm.EnglandJoin Date: 2002-10-27Member: 1651Members, Constellation
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Steam also "upgrades" your CS to version 1.6<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
You could not be more wrong if you tried. STEAM does NOT touch you current Counter-Strike version. I've been using STEAM v2 (yes this is version 2, STEAM v1 was used to beta test Counter-Strike 1.4) since day 1 and it's cache's and files go in a completely seperate folder on your harddrive.
Someone said something about downloading 100mb on dialup? At this exact moment in time, my STEAM folder weighs in at 695 meg. Remember that the setup.exe file is under 5 meg.... do the math. This is why STEAM was designed for Broadband or better.
At the moment, the only "legal" and "official" place to download STEAM v2 is from <a href='http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=2088' target='_blank'>FileShack</a> but ypu have to be a Mercury subscriber. (This is part of VALVe's ways of coping with the mass amounts of Bandwidth it uses.)
The best place to read about STEAM and how it works is from <a href='http://www.steampowered.com' target='_blank'>Steam Powered </a>or go to <a href='http://csnation.counter-strike.net/articles.php/117/' target='_blank'>CS-Nation and Read Rizzuh's article</a> because quite a few posts here contain incorrect info and some weird twisted words of wisdom.
ok im on broad band i get teh hl updates when they come out etc and its no problem to me i got little interest in cs is there any reason why i would want steam?
<!--QuoteBegin--AlienBreed+Feb 20 2003, 08:13 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (AlienBreed @ Feb 20 2003, 08:13 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> ok im on broad band i get teh hl updates when they come out etc and its no problem to me i got little interest in cs is there any reason why i would want steam? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Eventually you will not be able to update your half life without steam... so yes!
ok this has confused me...and may confuse others in the future so here are some questions:
Will we have to pay for steam in the future? if so...will you have to pay if you DONT own a valve product? if so..how will Steam know you have a valve product? will it search for HL.exe or something?
Will all the files steam uploads be placed on my Hard Drive? 695 meg is quite alot of space to take...or will it be a kind of server side placement where all the files are kept elsewere?
I think that you won't have to pay for steam or products you already own, but they offer future products through steam for a charge <!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'><!--endemo-->
imo it's a great idea if it works <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
A lot of what I look forward to in STEAM is going to be the Valve Anti Cheat, (VAC) right now its not in place but it should be getting tested in STEAM soon, this and some other anti-cheat things, which will include the ability to log all the player data better so hardcore cheaters can be banned from STEAM will be the main thing that will suck me in. Also in the STEAM forums I "think" it was noted that all popular mods would be supported, and NS comes right after DOD.
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Will we have to pay for steam in the future? if so...will you have to pay if you DONT own a valve product? if so..how will Steam know you have a valve product? will it search for HL.exe or something? <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I already answered most of this in the thread.
"If you own a Valve product, you can use Steam for free. In fact, you can download Steam for free whether you have their products or not. However, if you didn't have one of their products, you could pay to download one through Steam. "
Steam actually accesses your HL files when updating to 1.6. It copies some of them to speed up the process. (instead of downloading all the files) At least, this is what I was told. But I don't doubt it at least finds which Valve products are on your computer first. I imagine, if you don't have it on your comp, they'll allow a clean install using your Valve cd-key or something.
You almost can't trust any rumor said in this community, including that rumor that you can shoot through the glass on the shield. (it goes back and forth on that one, but during my tests, it didn't) There was a poll on the official forums and it came out 58% to 42%, the slight majority saying that you couldn't shoot through the window. Their argument saying that it's a bug with the shield if you get a random headshot on someone in full defensive position with one.
Comments
HL, TFC, CS, and DOD all get updates from STEAM. But since NS is not an "official" Valve sponsored MOD (yet), we get no updates for NS from STEAM.
Steam also "upgrades" your CS to version 1.6. Nothing is really different in 1.6, except that you get some new weapons, some tweaks to the old ones, 2 or 3 name changes on the weapons, and a riot shield for the CTs. (It costs 1000$. You cannot shoot while "using" it. You cannot have a primary weapon. The knife takes forever to "fire". It protects A LOT of your body, but some bullets can still go though it and people can shoot your feet.)
Also, you don't need to already have CS or TFC installed on your machine. It downloads it automaticly.
huh?
I just deleted steam like last week, you dont have to pay a dime right now because its the beta. When its fully released you will have to pay.
Basically its a fancy way to play HL that really isnt worth paying for.
You seem to have missed the "broadband" about this.
Steam is made for broadband.
<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Don't spread that rumor. There is NO truth to it. If you own a Valve product, you can use Steam for free. In fact, you can download Steam for free whether you have their products or not. However, if you didn't have one of their products, you could pay to download one through Steam.
Steam will be released before or at the release of CS:Condition Zero which will solely use Steam.
This is assuming it all goes to plan and Valve doesn't abandon it.
Well, since a flood of people used it vavle removed the link form thier main site. But if you look hard enough you might be able to find it *wink wink* try www.k3v.com
Nice, i was getting bit scared, almost started naming Sierra faschistic b!tches.
You could not be more wrong if you tried. STEAM does NOT touch
you current Counter-Strike version.
I've been using STEAM v2 (yes this is version 2, STEAM v1 was used to
beta test Counter-Strike 1.4) since day 1 and it's cache's and files go
in a completely seperate folder on your harddrive.
Someone said something about downloading 100mb on dialup?
At this exact moment in time, my STEAM folder weighs in at 695 meg.
Remember that the setup.exe file is under 5 meg.... do the math.
This is why STEAM was designed for Broadband or better.
At the moment, the only "legal" and "official" place to download STEAM v2
is from <a href='http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=2088' target='_blank'>FileShack</a> but
ypu have to be a Mercury subscriber. (This is part of VALVe's ways of coping
with the mass amounts of Bandwidth it uses.)
The best place to read about STEAM and how it works is from <a href='http://www.steampowered.com' target='_blank'>Steam Powered </a>or go to <a href='http://csnation.counter-strike.net/articles.php/117/' target='_blank'>CS-Nation and Read Rizzuh's article</a> because quite a few posts here contain incorrect info
and some weird twisted words of wisdom.
i get teh hl updates when they come out etc and its no problem to me
i got little interest in cs
is there any reason why i would want steam?
i get teh hl updates when they come out etc and its no problem to me
i got little interest in cs
is there any reason why i would want steam? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Eventually you will not be able to update your half life without steam... so yes!
Will we have to pay for steam in the future?
if so...will you have to pay if you DONT own a valve product?
if so..how will Steam know you have a valve product? will it search for HL.exe or something?
Will all the files steam uploads be placed on my Hard Drive? 695 meg is quite alot of space to take...or will it be a kind of server side placement where all the files are kept elsewere?
imo it's a great idea if it works <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
if so...will you have to pay if you DONT own a valve product?
if so..how will Steam know you have a valve product? will it search for HL.exe or something?
<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I already answered most of this in the thread.
"If you own a Valve product, you can use Steam for free. In fact, you can download Steam for free whether you have their products or not. However, if you didn't have one of their products, you could pay to download one through Steam. "
Steam actually accesses your HL files when updating to 1.6. It copies some of them to speed up the process. (instead of downloading all the files) At least, this is what I was told. But I don't doubt it at least finds which Valve products are on your computer first. I imagine, if you don't have it on your comp, they'll allow a clean install using your Valve cd-key or something.
You almost can't trust any rumor said in this community, including that rumor that you can shoot through the glass on the shield. (it goes back and forth on that one, but during my tests, it didn't) There was a poll on the official forums and it came out 58% to 42%, the slight majority saying that you couldn't shoot through the window. Their argument saying that it's a bug with the shield if you get a random headshot on someone in full defensive position with one.