Adding a game to steam library

[Standooo]

Hi, i just need an advice before i do something stupid or unnecessary:

Long time ago i bought a game - Age of Empires 3 (a great game btw) on multiple CDs with CD keys and when you want to play it one of the CDs must be inserted in you PC

Recently i noticed that it is available in Steam store and thus, you would just have it in your Steam library, without instalation rituals of exchanging CDs and no need to have one in your PC, right?

So here is the question:

If i now add this game i bought to my steam library, will i get rid of those previously mentioned things? Will i be able to install it on PC (laptop) without CD reader in it (or externaly connected to it)? Will i be able to play it anytime without need to put CD into the PC?

If not are there any other sollutions to this problem of mine (or rather a discomfort)?

[Zekiran]

Adding a non steam game merely means that Steam recognizes the executable that starts something. It can be a text editor, a real game, whatever.

I'd suggest looking up that specific game online and seeing what workarounds exist for the CD version, because 9 times out of 10 it's a config fix or modifying an ini file, to make it think you're running it from a disk.

Aside from that you'd need to buy the game on steam or gog to get the same results.

[Crazy Tiger]

As Zekiran says, Steam will only launch the game if it is a non-Steam game. AoE3 discs are counted as a non-Steam game, so you'd still need to install it through the discs and use the disc to run it.

If you want it to be hassle free, you have to buy it on Steam.
You can try the publisher to see whether they'll give a Steam key if you can provide proof that you own the game, but I'm not sure Microsoft does these things.

[wuddih]

Originally posted by Standooo:

Recently i noticed that it is available in Steam store and thus, you would just have it in your Steam library, without instalation rituals of exchanging CDs and no need to have one in your PC, right?

nope. that the game was released on Steam is not related to you owning a retail non-Steam version of the game.
also the game was released on Steam prior to 2012, not recently.

Originally posted by Standooo:

If i now add this game i bought to my steam library, will i get rid of those previously mentioned things? Will i be able to install it on PC (laptop) without CD reader in it (or externaly connected to it)? Will i be able to play it anytime without need to put CD into the PC?

nope, adding a non-Steam game is nothing more buy a shortcut to start the game with a tiny bit of added overlay functionality and gameplay status shown to friends.

Originally posted by Standooo:

If not are there any other sollutions to this problem of mine (or rather a discomfort)?

you have 2 options of which only one has a definitive positive result:
1) you rebuy the game on Steam.
2) you ask microsoft game support nicely to provide you with an activation key for Steam with definitive proof that you really own the retail version.
keep in mind that they absolutely do not have to do this

[nullable]

First off the above posters are right and I'm not contradicting them.

But, you might try throwing the CD key into Steam's product activation just to see what happens. I do have a very old memory of doing that with a couple of games (outside of HL), but whether it does or not would be very dependent on the game and I would bank on it failing. That being said, sometimes you doing an easy thing just to confirm it doesn't work is better than being sure it won't and doing everything but and finding out you were mistaken.

And for example if you have ancient HL cd keys now, they won't activate on Steam anymore, so very small chance it would work.