Half-Life: need some advice

[XavierHyde]

Here's my situation:

I own the Half-Life Generation pack, 3rd edition. That means Half-Life, Blueshift, Opposing Force (and the retail Counter-Strike CD, which sucks compared to the mod).

I DON'T play online and I don't have a permanent connection to the Internet.

Since I'd lost the manual for the Generation pack in an over-enthusiastic clean-out, I bought a "Sierra Bestseller" Half-Life package to get a CD-key to be able to install the game on my new rig. All seemed well, got the package last friday and installed the game. Patched it to latest version (1.1.1.0) when I found out that there was a newer version available (1.1.2.0). OK, downloaded the Steam installer (on a friend's DSL line). Installed Steam. Registered an account. OK. Activated my Half-Life (detected as Platinum Pack). SCREECHING HALT! Steam server says my CD key is already in use on another account, which isn't REALLY possible (unless the key has been double-printed) since I've never been online with ANY Half-Life product before, certainly not on Steam, and the CD-key I use was recieved in a shrinkwrapped DVD case and input only at the moment of activation.

So now, I can't activate Steam in order to install the latest patches, even though I just shelled out $20 for that sole purpose!

Also, Steam seems to demand that I be connected to the Internet at all times.

So here's my question to savvy gamers out there:

How can I upgrade my Half-Life / Blueshift / Opposing Force to the very latest version, without using Steam, or how can I convince the Steam server to accept my legally obtained CD-key?

Also, can I play HL / CS on a LAN without being attached to the Internet (33.6K = no fun!)?

[MasterSpy]

Here's my advice. Get a *NEW* decent game. Civilization III for example. Stop playing First Person Shooters. They aren't great - and they are virtually all the same. Kill Aliens. Kill Nazis. Kill Stupid Stormtroopers etc. Why are you even trying to play on Half-life still anyway? It's old - graphically inferior to modern games, and had a really generic storyline (though some will disagree.) Perhaps if you should trade it in for something else. I'm sure you'll get at least 50p for your copy of Half-life at GAME or Gamestation.

Master Spy.

[mick0142]

he was asking for help to do what he wanted to do.. he did not ask to have his opinions / choices belittled by you... your generic comments can be applied to anything

"all rts games are the same, build some sort of city, destroy some sort of opposition. and there isn't even and sort of reality feel, like controlling a 3rd rate cartoon with no good camera controls"

see how rediculous i sound... so did you.

yes, you can play on a lan.. as far as the cd key issue... i am not sure what to tell you besides, "that sucks man good luck"

[MasterSpy]

"all rts games are the same, build some sort of city, destroy some sort of opposition. and there isn't even and sort of reality feel, like controlling a 3rd rate cartoon with no good camera controls"

Like Sim City etc. All the same. Very boring. etc etc.

Master Spy.

[DoNuTs]

Like Sim City etc. All the same. Very boring. etc etc.

Master Spy.

Go away!

He wasn't asking for your oppinion, he was asking for help!

(Btw: Your oppinions suck ass )

[vertigosity]

I don't think you can update HL/BlueShift/OpFor to the latest versions without using Steam now; there were some unofficial versions hacked together to use the old HL stuff and WON authentication, but after a big security patch they fell off the map AFAIK. You might want to talk to official Valve people, scanning your CDs might help you get new keys, and/or scanning the manual that might have been ripped one way or another.

Valve added "offline" support to Steam about three months after it was released, it's in now and works pretty well. After you spend a couple of good long nights overnighting the cache files ;) Also, if you can, it might be worth trying online play at 33.6 now, they improved some of the networking code and my 56k connection appears to have at least 50 milleseconds less latency, and I do halfway decently - but I live in a metropolitan area with nice phone lines, ymmv. (begin sarcasm) Then you can experience all the wonderful people in the HL community firsthand! (ending sarcasm mode.)

Ten cents says by the time I hit post five hundred people will flame us saying "0mgf g3t br04db4nd joo llamor!!!1111`1!eleleveneone" :-P

[XavierHyde]

Here's my advice. Get a *NEW* decent game. Civilization III for example. Stop playing First Person Shooters. They aren't great - and they are virtually all the same. Kill Aliens. Kill Nazis. Kill Stupid Stormtroopers etc. Why are you even trying to play on Half-life still anyway? It's old - graphically inferior to modern games, and had a really generic storyline (though some will disagree.) Perhaps if you should trade it in for something else. I'm sure you'll get at least 50p for your copy of Half-life at GAME or Gamestation.

Master Spy.

Despite the troll nature of your post, I will reply.

Firstly, FPS is definitely not my genre, the last FPS I really played through with any kind of enthusiasm was Dark Forces 1, and that was only because I'm an 'original-trilogy' Star Wars nut. I only wanted to check out the online play of HL/CS since many people says it's soo neat, and all the old servers are going down starting today so now I must have Steam in order to play. Besides, I haven't even finished Half-Life single-player yet (just didn't catch my interest much) but since I am also the techie at a small temporary cyber caf? and we're debating whether or not to upgrade, I wanted to test this out for myself (and besides, having the latest patch is always nice). I know the computers will be moved to a location without internet connection when the caf? closes for the summer (which is real soon) so I'm having second thoughts about updating..:unsure:e:

As much as I'd like to support Sid Meier and Firaxis, their choice of Infogrames (aka the Borg) as publisher (yeah, I don't buy into that "we are Atari now" crap) makes me unable to. I'll just play the original Civ on my retro rig.

As far as online play goes, Starcraft is more my personal cup of tea.

As far as gaming in general go, adventure games (Monkey Island, Chrono Trigger etc) is much more to my liking (as you'll doubtless see if you read my signature).

And finally, if you were to see my games collection (which is rather huge, having accumulated since ~1990) I doubt you'd think I liked FPS games! The most complete collection I have must be the LucasArts one, with no less than four versions of Monkey Island 1, three versions of Monkey Island 2, and almost every adventure since Maniac Mansion (sans Loom VGA CD). Now there's generic storylines for you... NOT!

Ten cents says by the time I hit post five hundred people will flame us saying "0mgf g3t br04db4nd joo llamor!!!1111`1!eleleveneone&quot:p:p

Yeah, either we're having a lot of sarcastic members, or a lot of closet script kiddies..:p:p

Edited July 26, 2004 by cappuchok

[basix]

When I found the Steam update borking for me I downloaded an updated steam w/cs/hl fully updated from a p2p network (at a faster speed may I add). Install steam and locate the patches from your hd.

[XavierHyde]

When I found the Steam update borking for me I downloaded an updated steam w/cs/hl fully updated from a p2p network (at a faster speed may I add). Install steam and locate the patches from your hd.

The update is working fine, it's just that it won't accept my legitimate CD-key. Some lame kiddie with a keygen must have beat me to it (thus robbing me of $20, I don't like that!)

[Liquid]

Here's my situation:

I own the Half-Life Generation pack, 3rd edition. That means Half-Life, Blueshift, Opposing Force (and the retail Counter-Strike CD, which sucks compared to the mod).

I DON'T play online and I don't have a permanent connection to the Internet.

Since I'd lost the manual for the Generation pack in an over-enthusiastic clean-out, I bought a "Sierra Bestseller" Half-Life package to get a CD-key to be able to install the game on my new rig. All seemed well, got the package last friday and installed the game. Patched it to latest version (1.1.1.0) when I found out that there was a newer version available (1.1.2.0). OK, downloaded the Steam installer (on a friend's DSL line). Installed Steam. Registered an account. OK. Activated my Half-Life (detected as Platinum Pack). SCREECHING HALT! Steam server says my CD key is already in use on another account, which isn't REALLY possible (unless the key has been double-printed) since I've never been online with ANY Half-Life product before, certainly not on Steam, and the CD-key I use was recieved in a shrinkwrapped DVD case and input only at the moment of activation.

So now, I can't activate Steam in order to install the latest patches, even though I just shelled out $20 for that sole purpose!

Also, Steam seems to demand that I be connected to the Internet at all times.

So here's my question to savvy gamers out there:

How can I upgrade my Half-Life / Blueshift / Opposing Force to the very latest version, without using Steam, or how can I convince the Steam server to accept my legally obtained CD-key?

Also, can I play HL / CS on a LAN without being attached to the Internet (33.6K = no fun!)?

you can mail your CD key to them and they will unregister it. That is "MAIL/snailmail" Not email.

[XavierHyde]

you can mail your CD key to them and they will unregister it.? That is "MAIL/snailmail" Not email.

That's if I think someone may have copied the key (after having HL for a while and going online for the first time). I'm reasonably sure it hasn't, since I got the new key less than a week ago, the disc was shrinkwrapped, I haven't had a virus on my computers since forever, and I have multiple layers of firewalls (including "personal" ones) and antivirus software protecting my home network making sure each packet leaving or entering the network is authorized.

From what I've now read on the support site, I could just email a JPG of the package and get a new key, as odds are the key has been doubleprinted.

Besides, snailmailing it overseas just to get a new key - that'll cost me more than the $20 I spent on the new package. I'll just go with 1.1.1.0 if I want to play it, then.:((

[j005u]

but why do you have such and urgent need to update? you don't need to unless you want to play online. there really no reason for offline play..

(i know this isn't help, but it is kind of hard without an internet connection..)

[kawai]

we had a thread about this earlier, why don't you use the search botton

I basically wrote all the stuff about it

you have to mail them the cd/cdkey + reciept for a new copy

[basix]

The key is in use EVERY time you try to use it? It seems improbable.

[Ryan Versaw]

The key is in use EVERY time you try to use it? It seems improbable.

once a key is attached to a steam account, the key can not be used by anyone else.

have you looked at either of these?

http://steampowered.com/forums/showthread....threadid=101650

http://steampowered.com/forums/showthread....threadid=108755

in the first one, it does say this:

Note:

There is currently a bug in Steam that may tell you your cd-key is invalid if you enter it when trying to join a game server (double=clicked on a server in the Servers window). You'll need to go to the Steam Games window, double-click the game you want to play, and enter the key there. Thanks,

Taylor

[struct]

you won't be able to play non-steam hl after the end of this week, I believe.

[yert*]

Uninstall steam and play offline...Why ddi you dl steam in the 1st place if you're not going online?

[XavierHyde]

Uninstall steam and play offline...Why ddi you dl steam in the 1st place if you're not going online?

Because A) I like to always have the latest patches, and since Half-Life is patched (1.1.2.0) in Steam compared to 1.1.1.0 regular patch, I'd like to try it out and see if there are any gameplay / graphics improvements. And B) I am also managing a small temporary cyber caf? (6 seats, so can't go with the Cyber Caf? program) that's closing down for the summer in a week or so, I wanted to test if it was worth upgrading, or if I should just tell the staff to tell the users to create a LAN game with 1.5 instead. Seeing as how even a fresh CD-key from an original package recieved last week was already registered with another account, I highly doubt the caf? computers will be validated as the packages installed were delivered last yea:( :(

Or C) All of the abov:D :D

[j005u]

you won't be able to play non-steam hl after the end of this week, I believe.

just online.. offline still works fine :)

[quanta]

cappuchok: This happened to me too, for another game (C&C Renegade). Just because it's shrinkwrapped doesn't mean some twerp never walked into the store, tore off the wrapper, opened it up, and copied down the CD-key.

I recommend going back to the store and asking them for an exchange because the CD-key is invalid. If that doesn't work, then contacting Sierra via snailmail is your last resort.

You do NOT have to have Steam running to play online. To deactive the online component, just right click the Steam systray icon and select "Exit" (not "Exit and Logout"). However, it will do a CD-key check whenever you login.

Good luck!

[XavierHyde]

cappuchok: This happened to me too, for another game (C&C Renegade). Just because it's shrinkwrapped doesn't mean some twerp never walked into the store, tore off the wrapper, opened it up, and copied down the CD-key.

I recommend going back to the store and asking them for an exchange because the CD-key is invalid. If that doesn't work, then contacting Sierra via snailmail is your last resort.

You do NOT have to have Steam running to play online. To deactive the online component, just right click the Steam systray icon and select "Exit" (not "Exit and Logout"). However, it will do a CD-key check whenever you login.

Good luck!

The package came from a (rather large) mailorder site similar to Amazon.

Since the key works offline, I'll just stick with offline play then, and will have to do without the latest latest Half-Life patch. Guess there's not much difference in the gfx department, anyway?

[quanta]

No, they didn't change the graphics. Counter-strike has a couple new guns, tweaks on some of the existing guns, simple player shadows and an opaque radar. Almost everything else was bug fixes.