Wow Valve...

[Krom]

I just bought Half Life 2 in the box and stick the DVD in. I put in the CD key and what does it tell me? "THIS CD KEY HAS ALREADY BEEN USED"
Well, duh... but why can this game only be registered once. I got this used, yeah... but I still think it is unfair that I cannot play it, without buying it again.

[Spamming Tanks]

Did you get it used? That was my problem when I first tried to play this game years ago.

Anyway, I fixed the problem by just buying the steam version. If you don't want to pay $10 just wait for a sale... I saw the game for $2.50 once.!

[The Brown Hornet]

Why would you buy a used game? You know it's not going to work

[Spamming Tanks]

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย The Brown Hornet:

Why would you buy a used game? You know it's not going to work

Half-Life 2 was my first Steam game. I had no idea how Steam worked back then... so I guess I was scammed? Eh... ebay.

I was used to those old fashoned games that would work by plugging in a long string of numbers at the install screen. DRM was a new concept for me then.

Weird story, but it all worked out anyway, cause I played Half-Life 2 eventually.

[Krom]

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย The Brown Hornet:

Why would you buy a used game? You know it's not going to work

I am used to playing console games and didn't think anything of it. I bought a few other PC games used like DiRT and Monster Jam, which didn't make me use CD keys. I feel like DRM is a rip off. A disc should have unlimited installs, it's a physical medium. The only thing I think should be fair is to have to pop the disc in every time you play. That's what Hot Wheels Stunt Track Challenge does when you play it. (I actually recommend that game to racing game fans, it's really good. I played it as my first PS2 game back when it came out and it still holds up very well.)

[Spamming Tanks]

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย KromCo:

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย The Brown Hornet:

Why would you buy a used game? You know it's not going to work

I am used to playing console games and didn't think anything of it. I bought a few other PC games used like DiRT and Monster Jam, which didn't make me use CD keys. I feel like DRM is a rip off. A disc should have unlimited installs, it's a physical medium. The only thing I think should be fair is to have to pop the disc in every time you play. That's what Hot Wheels Stunt Track Challenge does when you play it. (I actually recommend that game to racing game fans, it's really good. I played it as my first PS2 game back when it came out and it still holds up very well.)

I agree DRM can be harsh, but it has it's justifications and, if done right, is not all that bad. Steam does the right thing by tieing a game, digital or physical, to a particular account, while at the same time allowing the game to be played in offline mode.

The thing is, pirating is a bigger problem for PC than it is for consoles, because it is just easier. I am a PC gamer myself and I think pirating, while not a damning problem, is signifigant enough to justify some forms of DRM. The developers have to make their money somehow.

There are only two cases where I would condone pirating. 1) If the game is really old, and is no longer being sold at any retailer or being supported by the publisher. 2) If you already own/owned a legal copy of the game but lost it or otherwise don;t have access to it.

Of course pirates won't abide by these ethical boundaries, so DRM is, in most cases, totally justified.

[TiLtEd]

Do you still have the case/code? If you do, take pics, send them to valve (there's a support option) and say you were sold it. They should take care of it :)

[Krom]

Great idea! Thank you!