PLEASANT surprise with Steam! (yes, pleasant!)

[Foebane]

Yesterday I installed Counter-Strike: Condition Zero and played it for a bit, then decided to install Steam and put CS into it to see how many old CS servers there were.

You see, I was debating getting rid of CS, as I didn't play it much and I didn't want to play with just bots. I had gotten rid of all my other Valve games anyway, so this would've been the last one.

There are still a lot of servers around, so I assumed "fine", they're still playing classic DM.

Then I thought I'd try to play Half-Life through Steam when it wasn't on the system and see what happened. Much to my surprise, I was riding the train to Black Mesa within ten minutes of choosing to install the game!!

I deduced that there must be a lot of HL code in CS, and Steam simply downloaded the rest and activated it, which means I have HL back again!

I found I was able to INSTALL and PLAY Team Fortress Classic, DM Classic and Ricochet as well.

Then I thought, OPPOSING FORCE! There CAN'T be any OF code in CS, so that won't work! But once again, it DID! So did Blue Shift!

I got so excited at this point I assumed my Steam account must've remembered all my old CD keys, even though I'd thrown the other games away, and I realised the same may be true of HL2, so I started an installation of that as well...

...BUGGER, it's asking for my HL2 CD key!

Oh, well, I thought I'd be too good to last.

The whole point of this message, what I'm trying to say is, that just because I bought Counter-Strike: Condition Zero (which includes Steam client), I have all other HL1 games available to me through Steam, for FREE?

If that is true, then my opinion of Steam has just irrevocably changed for the better! :naughty:

I still have to buy HL2 again if I want it, though - bummer.

 

[Drackard]

This is old news, but glad your happy

 

[Foebane]

Is there an article on this, on why Valve would be so kind as to make all HL1 games available to anyone who has any of them in commercial form? Or is that the catch - you must own at least one HL1 game as a commercial product?

I don't mean to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I was just wondering.

Of course, it doesn't extend to HL2 games does it? Even if you have an old CD Key from when you used to have HL2? So, should I just remove the files or pay for it again?

I just discovered Day of Defeat as well, BTW.

 

[Drackard]

I don't think there is an article as such, but yeah, if you own 1 HL1 game then the others become available automatically for free and nope, this doesn't apply to HL2 or any of its Mods, so you are better off buying it again am afraid.

 

[StardogChampion]

I guess if you have CZ then they just let you have HL1 since it uses the same engine, although CZ was standalone wasn't it? Then since you have HL1, the rest become available since they're basically HL1 mods, like Counter-strike, Ricochet, Day of Defeat, Blue shift etc.

 

[Foebane]

Oh well, I always preferred CS, TFC and all the old HL games anyway. Ta.

 

[MiccyNarc]

It's called the "Steam Back Catalog", includes all old Valve games.

 

[Foebane]

Thank you for all letting me know.

I mentioned this fact on TFC earlier tonight, and someone goes "duh!", as if I'd been living on the moon this past year. I told him, "so the news is old to you but not to me".

I didn't know about this back catalogue, and I thought I'd seen the last of the games for good.

I never thought I'd say this, but Thank God for Steam! :cheers:

What to do once I move out of my parents' house, on the other hand... Oh well, I suppose CS with bots will have to do.

 

[^Ben]

Your HL2 cd key is probably on another account you made.

 

[Foebane]

I only have the one Steam account.

 

[^Ben]

It won't just "forget" you had a cd key registered to an account.

 

[kirovman]

You threw away your copy of HL2? :O

 

[Foebane]

You threw away your copy of HL2? :O

Yes, Kirovman - I was in a huff over Steam at the time, and I didn't like the dystopian (George Orwell/1984/Big Brother) future depicted in it either. When things like plot concern me, physics don't matter.

Mr. Ben, I had downloaded it over one night, but when I clicked on it it would just fall back to Windows again, but then it said it hadn't finished updating (there was a percentage value after the HL2 name). Would I have had to wait for ages before I could play it, even if Steam remembered my CD key?

No, I don't think I would've gotten in without my CD key. The Steam programmers rightly think that if you've gotten a game on DVD-ROM, then you should install it from that, and even if you don't have the disc anymore, then you should still have the CD key... and I didn't.

Naah, I'm happy with the old HL1 games, even if some kids who watch me play TFC say "Oh MAN what CRAPPY GRAPHICS!!"

I just ignore them.