The popularity of Half Life 2 (re: Steam)...

[craig]

Just wondering how popular you all think Half Life 2 will be? Now before you say 'very' read on.

One of the primary reasons that Half Life was so popular was the fact that it was highly moddable and at first wasn't being run through Steam.

If the information I've read is true then don't you have to get permission with valve for a mod to be listed on Steam? And of-course Steam is the only legitimate way to run mods with HL2.

Granted HL2 has better modding capabilities, but I think the fact that Steam chokes modders in certain ways will hurt Valve's baby more than they think, because imagine spending ages making a mod just for valve to turn around and say you can't put it onto the Steam network.

Maybe I'm just talking rubbish, but I think its food for thought.

 

[blindvomit]

Just wondering how popular you all think Half Life 2 will be? Now before you say 'very' read on.

One of the primary reasons that Half Life was so popular was the fact that it was highly moddable and at first wasn't being run through Steam.

Steam has nothing to do with Half-Life's popularity, I don't think they knew or even though up steam when they had released Half-Life.

 

[Dead-Inside]

You don't need permission to get a mod out to the public... However you do need a deal with VALVe for them to HOST you. You need to read your facts.

Edit: In other words, you can distribute and let people download your mod, and it will be shown in steam just like Natural Selection, Desert Crisis, The Specialist amongst others are today, they're not official mods, but they're still playable through steam, are they not? Oh well, go hand yourself :E

 

[craig]

Steam has nothing to do with Half-Life's popularity, I don't think they knew or even though up steam when they had released Half-Life.

I can see you totally missed my point. *sigh*

granted Half Life 1 & 2 can both be run without steam, but after the summer no mods will be able to. And one of the reasons mods are so popular is the freedom they offer.

Steam in essence ties the modder down in a way and I was thinking out loud that this could possibly affect the popularity of Half Life 2 (considering that HL1 lasted as long as it did due to mods).

 

[brink's]

It's true that you need valves permission for it to be distributed over steam, but they can't stop you from making a mod thats steam compatible. Or I think they would have put a stop to making cs1.3 and cs1.5 steam compatible.

 

[Synthaxx R-or]

Your ideas have merit.
However if Valve were to deprive mod makers of an independant launch (e.g. not via Steam), it would severly limit the ammount of mod making teams on launch and throughout the entire lifecycle of HL2.

Think about an independant modder who wants to just fool around. He doesn't want Steam to distribute his small mod, he just wants a few persons to test some of the ideas. He distributes the mod, and before he knows it those people are telling him he's on to something, even the testers friends noticed this and request his mod. Pretty soon everyone is playing it. Insta-hit. This is not something unheard of, if i remember correctly this is the way Counter-Strike first saw the light of day.

It would be a big mistake for Valve to restrict mod access only through steam, but i'm pretty sure they realise this.
Steam just focuses on the bigger mods like CS, DOD etc. When a mod has reached a certain "maturity" its creator could go for the step of putting it on steam, maybe even charging a small amount of money for his trouble (wich i think is not unreasonable, modmaker effectively create an entire game, sometimes putting in times measured in man years) but he doesn't have to.

 

[Dead-Inside]

"Or I think they would have put a stop to making cs1.3 and cs1.5 steam compatible."

-- EH??!!

Anyway, I think you're a bit mistaken, CS 1.3-1.5 will be taken off the net gradualy, I don't know when cuz I didn't really read the dates (It doesn't apply to me), but the WON Authentication (SP?) service is going to be put to sleep, and as such those two programs will stop working. You will also be requierd to run all mods through steam in the future, including mods for HL2.

 

[brink's]

Its no different then before. You just put the steam compatible mod in your steam/halflife folder and it shows up in under 3rd party games in your steam games menu.
Why is this an issue.

 

[brink's]

"Or I think they would have put a stop to making cs1.3 and cs1.5 steam compatible."

-- EH??!!

Anyway, I think you're a bit mistaken, CS 1.3-1.5 will be taken off the net gradualy, I don't know when cuz I didn't really read the dates (It doesn't apply to me), but the WON Authentication (SP?) service is going to be put to sleep, and as such those two programs will stop working. You will also be requierd to run all mods through steam in the future, including mods for HL2.

Someone developed cs1.3 and cs1.5 that are both compatible with steam, I know this cause I have both.

 

[Lobster]

Nothing has changed for mods other than a few code and resource changes for the menu system, they are simply listed as third party (which custom mods have always been), if you want to have ur mod to update via steam (as opposed to traditional patch methods) then yeh u need to work with valve to get it setup, and ur mod needs to be good, but autoupdating is a luxury by mod standards anyway.

Everything i just said was more than likely mentioned but oh well point is, other than the inclusion of steam features, nothing is different.

 

[Sideswiped]

Someone developed cs1.3 and cs1.5 that are both compatible with steam, I know this cause I have both.

do you have a link?

 

[Mr-Fusion]

Installing a mod for steam is as easy as installing a mod for regular WON Half-Life.

WHAT IS THE ISSUE?

 

[crabcakes66]

WHAT IS THE ISSUE?

Im wondering the same thing.....


Nothing has changed from when HL was released. Most mods will be distributed like they always have been. Any HL mod can be made steam compatible. Steam will act as WON did for HL(duh).


The only added benifit is that the larger more popular mods(im not sure what kind of criteria a mod will have to meet, but i doubt valve will host garbage) will have the ability to sign a deal with valve for them to distribute(and update) over steam....and for the really good mods the ability to charge money for them.

 

[merc]

i believe that if anything Steam will help half life 2 because all the newbs and beginners that play counter strike and stuff will see half life 2 and counter strike source and then buy it! also, if valve makes mods downloadable straight through steam, or have a separate mods section, then it would be sweet! i think we will see some changes in steam in the next 3 months as half life 2 and all the other gmaes come out...

-merc

 

[smsKONG]

Steam had a fairly icey reception when it came out but in my opinion has really been a big hit. Now that the worst bugs have been ironed out (like off-line play), it really makes keeping up to date easy as pie.
But my point is; in terms of damage, Steam has already done the worst of the damage by scaring away some of the community, I for one know several people who stopped playing c-s when steam came out without even trying it,claiming things like 'it's spyware' or beleiving it not to be free etc..
The good news is, that I at least having been working on these people! Most of those I know who left half-life and c-s for dead when steam arrived have been persuaded to give it a go, rumour control has been in effect and slowly their fears dispelled!
So oldies will be returning, converting to steam not least to get half-life 2. And as for the newbies, those who never played half-life or any of its mods; they will instal steam without thinking bad thoughts when they instal half-life 2, they will not bag steam for not being WON 'cos they will never have used WON for half-life and it will just seem normal. I expect anyway!

 

[Dr. Freeman]

Granted HL2 has better modding capabilities, but I think the fact that Steam chokes modders in certain ways will hurt Valve's baby more than they think, because imagine spending ages making a mod just for valve to turn around and say you can't put it onto the Steam network.

i understand what u are trying to say here...but i also think that if Valve put any sort of restrictions on modding.. they would ultimately be hurting themselves.

while i understand not all mods make it to the popularity of CS and DOD, Valve still need to give these independant modders a chance... especially if they want the Source engine to have a long life-cycle or whatever u wanna call it.