Valve > Pirates

[Varsity]

Two threads first.

http://www.steampowered.com/forums/showthr...threadid=184810
http://www.steampowered.com/forums/showthr...threadid=185082

I'm a little hazy right now, but it seems that a sneaky way to pirate HL2 through Steam showed up on the intraweb. God know how many cheery warez scene cool kiddies proceeded to follow the instructions to enter a special key, unplug their connections and fool Steam into adding the game to their account. They could then extract the files from the caches and play with the -steam command line switch.

But wait - surely you should be able do that with any old pirated version? In fact, you couldn't at all. It now seems that the entire thing was a sting set up by Valve to catch out pirates, utilising Steam to finally let the developers take an offensive! All affected accounts were been disabled, and the fraudsters lost all their games including any legit copies of HL2 purchased after they realised they'd been tricked.

I'll post more info as soon as I can find it and make any corrections ASAP. Always buy your games people!

 

[KagePrototype]

This is full scale war!

 

[DarkSonic]

Don't see why anyone wouldn't want to buy this game. I just love my little G-Man box.

 

[Alig]

When i go on a warez site and read about it i dont see how this can stop anyone...the game doesnt run through steam or a steam account, it does'nt connect to steam, it does'nt use a CD-key...this is just a scare tactic to make the dumb people think they'll get banned and make them buy it instead.

 

[KagePrototype]

Apparently, 20,000+ accounts are being disabled. That's quite a bit.

 

[Dasparov]

lmao "uh oh, Herr Fickensie - banned" xD

 

[Raziaar]

Arrr matey, there be dem land lubbers. Gather 'em up and gag em! On the 'morrow, they walk da plank! Ayeeee!

 

[PvtRyan]

So.. the so called Steam free HL2 warez is in fact not Steam free? I'm still not really getting it.

 

[jacen]

So.. the so called Steam free HL2 warez is in fact not Steam free? I'm still not really getting it.

you are thinking the wrong way

there are 2 ways to obtain hl2 illegal:
-) dl it from steam and unlock it with this key (that got leaked by valve on purpose)
-) dl the warez files from torrent or anything else and just play, since its nocd and nosteam

first option is a very bad idea, since u are using steam
second option ... well .. valve cant do anything about it.

 

[Tkmaster]

When i go on a warez site and read about it i dont see how this can stop anyone...the game doesnt run through steam or a steam account, it does'nt connect to steam, it does'nt use a CD-key...this is just a scare tactic to make the dumb people think they'll get banned and make them buy it instead.

i think thats what they want you to believe

 

[TigerRei]

When i go on a warez site and read about it i dont see how this can stop anyone...the game doesnt run through steam or a steam account, it does'nt connect to steam, it does'nt use a CD-key...this is just a scare tactic to make the dumb people think they'll get banned and make them buy it instead.

Actually, yes it does run through steam, and yes it does connect to steam, and yes it does use a CD key. No it's not a scare tactic. Although not deliberate as in this way, they have previously banned all users of cracked CD keys. I'm not going to explain how to, but someone found out a way back during the CS:S beta to crack a copy to work with steam. Valve eventually found out and put up a notice on the Steam website that anybody caught using this method will be banned from Steam. They kept it going after CS:S was released to retail. Of course I'm sure they noticed that it was pretty nifty finding out if a key was activated multiple times, and just decided to sit back and see what keys generated a lot of hits.

So saying that it doesnt require a key, and doesnt connect through steam...well then, how'd you get your copy of HL2 to work? You had to authenticate it, didnt you? If you say you didnt, then I'd have to say that either you have finally developed a time travel machine, activated your account in the future, and returned back to present time to play with the activated version, or that you're a flat out liar. No matter what, steam is set up to ask for authentication as soon as HL2 is installed. No way around it. It's that authentication that lets steam know what key has been activated.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

you are thinking the wrong way

there are 2 ways to obtain hl2 illegal:
-) dl it from steam and unlock it with this key (that got leaked by valve on purpose)

Valve didn't leak anything. They just tracked the usage of a known key.

-) dl the warez files from torrent or anything else and just play, since its nocd and nosteam

first option is a very bad idea, since u are using steam
second option ... well .. valve cant do anything about it.

Yet.

 

[jacen]

Valve didn't leak anything. They just tracked the usage of a known key.

this key ... this was their "thing" they got running that gabe mentioned in an interview last friday

Yet.

and how is valve supposed to stop it?
remember, it doesnt use steam. how is valve goint to do anything about it?

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

All Gabe said was that they were tracking usage of the crack and disabling accounts. They didn't release anything. A certain other site fallaciously reported that Valve had created their own warez version, which is where the confusion lies.

As for the other - wait and see.

 

[Alig]

Actually, yes it does run through steam, and yes it does connect to steam, and yes it does use a CD key. No it's not a scare tactic. Although not deliberate as in this way, they have previously banned all users of cracked CD keys. I'm not going to explain how to, but someone found out a way back during the CS:S beta to crack a copy to work with steam. Valve eventually found out and put up a notice on the Steam website that anybody caught using this method will be banned from Steam. They kept it going after CS:S was released to retail. Of course I'm sure they noticed that it was pretty nifty finding out if a key was activated multiple times, and just decided to sit back and see what keys generated a lot of hits.

So saying that it doesnt require a key, and doesnt connect through steam...well then, how'd you get your copy of HL2 to work? You had to authenticate it, didnt you? If you say you didnt, then I'd have to say that either you have finally developed a time travel machine, activated your account in the future, and returned back to present time to play with the activated version, or that you're a flat out liar. No matter what, steam is set up to ask for authentication as soon as HL2 is installed. No way around it. It's that authentication that lets steam know what key has been activated.

My mate has HL2 on warez...the AXPi one and i can guarantee you that it does'nt use steam, i can guarantee you that it does'nt require activation and guarantee you that it does'nt require a cd-key or even the internet...believe me, i've seen him playing it, it does NOT CONNECT TO STEAM. Infact, he does'nt even have steam running for it to connect in the first place. This is a simple scare tactic...as for the other way of using a cd-key and download HL2 through steam, yes that is probably real but the other way to warez HL2 is as untrackable as warezing any other game because it does'nt need the internet and Valve can't track a game not connected to the internet.

 

[PvtRyan]

As for the other - wait and see.

You talk like you know their plans, do you?

 

[Lukes Wall]

People who get the warez version create a different account for it. They're not stupid enough to have it in the same account as their regular games.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

20,000 people would disagree with you.

 

[Teta_Bonita]

no, 20,000 people are really, REALLY stupid!

 

[Mr. Redundant]

wow, in the words of CS players everywhere.

gg, pwned nubs!

People who get the warez version create a different account for it. They're not stupid enough to have it in the same account as their regular games.

you might be surprized

 

[jacen]

All Gabe said was that they were tracking usage of the crack and disabling accounts. They didn't release anything. A certain other site fallaciously reported that Valve had created their own warez version, which is where the confusion lies.

yeah sorry
they might not have released it, but they knew it long enought and just waited to lure some ppl in.

As for the other - wait and see.

as for that:
tell me how in the world can valve lock down hl2 on a pc that isnt connected to the net at all?
tell me your theory so i can rip it apart

 

[jacen]

20,000 people would disagree with you

in fact we only know that 20000 accounts got closed.
not how many of them created the account only to try the key.

i dont think many tried that key with their main support .. i only saw 5 ppl ranting @ steampowered.com

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

By the same token, the majority of people that were stupid enough to use their main account with the stolen key would probably be far too embarassed to go and post about it on Valve's own forums....

 

[jacen]

By the same token, the majority of people that were stupid enough to use their main account with the stolen key would probably be far too embarassed to go and post about it on Valve's own forums....

yeah ... lets stop arguing about it since we cant proove any of the assumptions

now tell me how you think valve can track nonsteam warez?

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

Some information is public domain.
Some information isn't.

This isn't.

 

[jacen]

Some information is public domain.
Some information isn't.

if it isnt, then you would have not been allowed to talk of its existance in the first place.
i get the strong feeling that you are making this up

wanna proof me wrong?
send a pm

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

You might think that. I couldn't possibly comment.

 

[jacen]

You might think that. I couldn't possibly comment.

k
anyways .. a friend just messaged me and told me he completed hl2 splayer ... on warez.

doesnt matter as long i have a valid account.
the only thing i need now is a multiplayer

 

[Solver]

It's interesting that people who are legal users make such a big fuss about pirates. If you're legal, then play the game and don't give a damn about what users of the warez version do!

 

[TigerRei]

The thing I find saddening is so many people here saying there is a way to play HL2 without steam, and pointing out examples of people they know doing it. Why are you letting them do it? Condoning a crime is the same as committing it yourself. I mean, hey, a free game is cool, but put yourself in the developers' shoes. Would you want to have spent $40 million on a project only to see people taking it away from you with no compensation? It's criminally unethical. Do the right thing and help bring it to a stop. If you paid for it, why cant everybody else?

 

[Kommie]

Valve PWNS

 

[jacen]

It's interesting that people who are legal users make such a big fuss about pirates. If you're legal, then play the game and don't give a damn about what users of the warez version do!

sry that im interested in more then just rushing the game through in 12 hrs.

The thing I find saddening is so many people here saying there is a way to play HL2 without steam, and pointing out examples of people they know doing it. Why are you letting them do it? Condoning a crime is the same as committing it yourself. I mean, hey, a free game is cool, but put yourself in the developers' shoes. Would you want to have spent $40 million on a project only to see people taking it away from you with no compensation? It's criminally unethical. Do the right thing and help bring it to a stop. If you paid for it, why cant everybody else?

i like to see what they want to do against.
let the spirit fly ...

 

[Solver]

sry that im interested in more then just rushing the game through in 12 hrs.

Well, I just find it sad then. I bought the game, I played it (not in 12 hours mind you), I will play it again. I am not going to lose any sleep over people who didn't buy the game, over people who pirated it or anything. It might be pragmatic of me, but I do have other stuff to worry about.

 

[Varsity]

Valve didn't distribute it.

http://www.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=185474

 

[Hoonose]

It's interesting that people who are legal users make such a big fuss about pirates. If you're legal, then play the game and don't give a damn about what users of the warez version do!

I had such a ****ed up time with installation, even being an honest buyer I WANT to see them taken down.....mostly for my amusement and their comuppence!

 

[Kommie]

I had such a ****ed up time with installation, even being an honest buyer I WANT to see them taken down.....mostly for my amusement and their comuppence!

I am t3h pl4y3r f33l2 meh!!!

 

[BladeTurbo]

OMG, i just read through the whole 53 pages and all i can say is DAMN, this is a full scale war (like Kage said). there are alot of "OMG,OMG, please Valve" statements. i'm glad i bought mine via steam.

 

[Homercidal]

After the crap I went through last night trying to get my ocpy to work, I'm not surprised people are trying ways of bypassing Steam.

I had to finally give up on Steam and block it from the INternet so I could Play offline. I spent 30 minutes tyring to get HL2 started and had to hard boot the computer twice before I gave up.

Honestly I don't know what went wrong, but I was too eager to play the game to figure it out. Log into Steam, start HL2, Wait at low-res splash screen while the computer sits there unresponsive.

I get little enough time in the evening to play the game, I don't care to have to spend 30 minutes of it trying to get the damn game started.

 

[Kommie]

OMG, i just read through the whole 53 pages and all i can say is DAMN, this is a full scale war (like Kage said). there are alot of "OMG,OMG, please Valve" statements. i'm glad i bought mine via steam.

yeah it is, But since saying anything against it will get you banned (as what 6 people got banned in that thread?) its kind of onesided.

Did you read the digital yoshi post, he was like i hope you like the donuts gabe! I remember it cause after he got banned it made me laugh so hard I almost lost a lung I love it when people deserve to get banned and they do in less than 5 minutes and then there was this;

1. I had 50e at my pocket
2. shop closed, opens tomorrow
3. stumpled to a link with a guide to get hl2 free
4. thought "what's the point trying that, i'm getting it tomorrow anyway."
5.tried it anyway, was too exited about hl2 (saw it at friends place the same day)
6. didn't work.
7. buy hl2 and be happy
8. play it for a couple of days
9. get banned
10.lost everything
11. I guess i'm selling 6mil of uo gold just to get another copy of hl2.
12. My income is approx 8e/month

HAHAHA!

I almost died laughing literally THAT has to be the funniest most pathetic sob story ever and this guy goes HAHAHA! (before I could, yes i am an asshole)

 

[lordoftheroot]

I feel very similair about VUG and Pirates both get money for VALVes work. A good pirate will just download a game that he is thinking about getting but does not want to waste there money if its crappy BUT if it is good will buy it. A good example of a good Pirate is the people who make MAME in there readme it says you can have these game for free but when your in the arcade play a few from you own pocket.