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Valve Pushes Out Half-Life For Linux

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Re: Valve Pushes Out Half-Life For Linux

#141

Post by stonemetal »

endianswap wrote: post #128
stonemetal wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately no Steam uses its own package format, so it must run the installer the first time to get steam to unpack it. Steam provides DRM but it is up to the author of the game to use it, their own, or none as they see fit. And no Steam doesn't provide any clues as to what DRM is used by a game.

Some games have third-party DRM listed, but I have no idea if most games with such DRM are detailed in this fashion: http://store.steampowered.com/app/35140/ 3rd-party DRM: SecuROM™ 4 machine activation limit

It seems like I have run across other games that use secuROM but don't mention it. I don't know if it was because that was before they added the listing or because there was no restriction like the activation limit.

Re: Valve Pushes Out Half-Life For Linux

#142

Post by aw3c2 »

austinshea wrote: post #134
aw3c2 wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At least gameplay-wise Black Mesa is very different from Half-Life. To me it is different in a bad, dumb, modern way. Please do not suggest that it is the same or even superior to the original game.

A ridiculous imposition. To you it is different in a bad, dumb, modern way. Why can't people express their opinion? Why do you care so much?

I said to me, I did not say it is objectively. I am just saying that a fan-made mod for a modern engine, using modern gameplay ideas is not the same as the original game.

Re: Valve Pushes Out Half-Life For Linux

#143

Post by vor_ »

ekianjo wrote: post #74
Camillo wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm talking about that peak right there in 2011. I can't find whole-year data for 2012 yet, but 3Q shipments were down over 2011 ( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/11/horror_idc_pc_sales_... ), and Q4 was not expected to make up for it ( http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/10/technology/pc-shipments-decl... ). Also, smartphones had already surpassed PCs in unit sales in 2011.

Yeah, and guess how much time are people spending on their Smartphones vs time spent on average on a PC ? That should be fairly obvious that the number of minutes of usage per device is greatly in favor of computers vs smartphones. Smartphones are a fashion trend: people like to change them all the time when new models come out because there is a great technological advance currently on their specs. The same is not t…

Dismissing smartphones as a fashion trend seems naive. There is a segment of PC users who emotionally react to the suggestion that the "PC", in reference to a box sitting on a desk, is in its twilight. I think it's due to a fear of losing mastery over the system.

PCs are horrendously complex for what most people would use them for--taking pictures, browsing Facebook, watching movies, and so on. It's no surprise that, as mobile devices have made these things easy to do, PC sales have been on the decline.

Re: Valve Pushes Out Half-Life For Linux

#144

Post by aw3c2 »

austinshea wrote: post #136
aw3c2 wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You enjoyed Black Mesa then, not Half-Life! Sorry for being so nit-picky, but I find the distinction important. You would not tell some Star Trek Deep Space Nine nerd that watching Star Trek Voyager is the same. The biggest similarity between BW and HL is the general story/setting and general level layout.

You are not being nit-picky; you are being ridiculous. You are replying to a comment which clearly states "I loved Black Mesa," and then go on to suggest that he enjoyed Black Mesa. The general story, setting, and level layout are a tremendous amount of what would be considered a single-player, narrative-driven, FPS experience. All that's left is the level of difficulty, and the feel of the code, as seen inside a par…

No, what is left is much more than that. You left out the whole gameplay, which to me defines a game.

Invisible brushes, different physics, monsters are different, some attack much quicker and harder, others are dumbed down.

This might feel like an improvement to some people, to me it did not. It does make the GAME a different one though. If only you notice minor changes, don't even mind the different graphics and sounds, then it may very well be a better game to you.

But please do not say it is the same. If you have played Black Mesa, you did not play Half-Life. You played Black Mesa.

Re: Valve Pushes Out Half-Life For Linux

#145

Post by bentcorner »

wtallis wrote: post #58
shmerl wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, I never used Steam preferring DRM free distributors like GOG, so I can't say much about Valve in this regard except that I know that Steam uses it :) It's unfortunate that they are too engrossed in DRM as much as preventing their games form being distributed by DRM free channels.

Valve is not "engrossed in DRM". They have the most lenient DRM that still qualifies as DRM, and the only objectionable aspect of it is the theoretical inability to install a game without access to the Steam servers. Valve's "DRM" scheme has imposes fewer restrictions on the user than most EULAs, and pretty much never gets in the way of legitimate usage. The fact that they don't want to sell their games without Steam…

> and pretty much never gets in the way of legitimate usage.

In my experience the steam client is physically painful to use (unpausable downloads, cache verifications, slow startup, unresponsive store). It's not as bad as iTunes, but it's getting there.

Re: Valve Pushes Out Half-Life For Linux

#146

Post by bentcorner »

DeepDuh wrote: post #35
daenz wrote: post #34

I read this as a hint/signal that Half-Life 3 may be available on Linux as well.

Just imagine the effect an exclusive linux release of HL (ep?) 3 would have. If Valve really wanted to piss on Microsoft's foot, that's what they should do.

I could see a world where they HL3 is exclusive to the Steambox (or whatever it's called) for a period of time. Alternatively, they could offer lower prices (or subscription things) to make obtaining valve games significantly cheaper/easier on their own hardware.

I think they have to move quickly though - the steam-sale model is getting copied by other PC download services and they stand the chance of getting lost in the crowd.

Re: Valve Pushes Out Half-Life For Linux

#147

Post by austinshea »

aw3c2 wrote: post #142
austinshea wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A ridiculous imposition. To you it is different in a bad, dumb, modern way. Why can't people express their opinion? Why do you care so much?

I said to me, I did not say it is objectively. I am just saying that a fan-made mod for a modern engine, using modern gameplay ideas is not the same as the original game.

This is why I find it ridiculous that you would request for someone else not to suggest that they find one experience superior.

Re: Valve Pushes Out Half-Life For Linux

#149

Post by austinshea »

vor_ wrote: post #139
austinshea wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are not being nit-picky; you are being ridiculous. You are replying to a comment which clearly states "I loved Black Mesa," and then go on to suggest that he enjoyed Black Mesa. The general story, setting, and level layout are a tremendous amount of what would be considered a single-player, narrative-driven, FPS experience. All that's left is the level of difficulty, and the feel of the code, as seen inside a par…

> You are replying to a comment which clearly states "I loved Black Mesa," and then go on to suggest that he enjoyed Black Mesa. He was replying to a comment that stated that they didn't enjoy Half-Life but wished they had, and that Black Mesa let them do that. The reply is correct; Black Mesa and Half-Life are different games. Half-Life is a good game, but it's also overrated because it was so novel for being narrat…

Yeah, and the commenter makes this distinction himself. I find it a strange, and aggressive, to make this point to someone who feels the same way.

People may be disappointed, people may feel like the commenters in this thread do, and people may appreciate both.

This is why it's ridiculous to ask someone else not to express their opinion on which is better.

Re: Valve Pushes Out Half-Life For Linux

#150

Post by austinshea »

aw3c2 wrote: post #144
austinshea wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are not being nit-picky; you are being ridiculous. You are replying to a comment which clearly states "I loved Black Mesa," and then go on to suggest that he enjoyed Black Mesa. The general story, setting, and level layout are a tremendous amount of what would be considered a single-player, narrative-driven, FPS experience. All that's left is the level of difficulty, and the feel of the code, as seen inside a par…

No, what is left is much more than that. You left out the whole gameplay, which to me defines a game. Invisible brushes, different physics, monsters are different, some attack much quicker and harder, others are dumbed down. This might feel like an improvement to some people, to me it did not. It does make the GAME a different one though. If only you notice minor changes, don't even mind the different graphics and so…

The gameplay is the way the code feels. That's what defines the gameplay, as you describe it.

I never played it, and don't particularly care about what people think of either experience.

I didn't say it was the same, but, if someone feels that way, they are entitled to care about different aspects of the single player experience.

People are entitled to be as aggressive as you are, and I find it strange that you would ask others to keep their opinions to themselves, if they found Black Mesa to be the superior experience.

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