09-16-2003, 10:57 AM
From my understanding this is whats going to happen....
You will be able to walk down to your local store, pick up half-life or half-life 2 or any other valve product install onto your computer, start up steam and then play half-life 1 or 2 or any other valve product for the next 5 years (or longer) without paying another cent to valve.
There will also be the steam subscription option. For 10 bucks a month you will be able to buy access to any and all of valves products via steam. But there will be a catch with these ones. You just can't subscribe for one month, download all of Valves products and then kill off the subscription and keep playing the products. And from what I understand even if you pay for 16 months and then at the end of that 16 months you are sick of paying for a subscription but want to keep playing the valve products you've downloaded you won't be able to. You will have to go out and buy the products in the store.
So for say $160 bucks (USD), you walk away with nothing. If you play half-life 2 for say 5 years (like I have played original half-life for) that will be $600 bucks (USD) you have spent out with nothing but memories and some files on a hard drive.
I paid $60 or $80 bucks (Canadian) for half-life. Thats it. I have not spent a penny more on that game. I could quit today and start playing a couple years from now and it still won't cost me any more.
I already shell out $50 bucks (Canadian) a month for my net connection, why would I want to spend another $15 bucks (Canadian) just to play one game.
Sure I suppose the 10 bucks for one month is good for testing to see if you like the game, but thats about it.
You will be able to walk down to your local store, pick up half-life or half-life 2 or any other valve product install onto your computer, start up steam and then play half-life 1 or 2 or any other valve product for the next 5 years (or longer) without paying another cent to valve.
There will also be the steam subscription option. For 10 bucks a month you will be able to buy access to any and all of valves products via steam. But there will be a catch with these ones. You just can't subscribe for one month, download all of Valves products and then kill off the subscription and keep playing the products. And from what I understand even if you pay for 16 months and then at the end of that 16 months you are sick of paying for a subscription but want to keep playing the valve products you've downloaded you won't be able to. You will have to go out and buy the products in the store.
So for say $160 bucks (USD), you walk away with nothing. If you play half-life 2 for say 5 years (like I have played original half-life for) that will be $600 bucks (USD) you have spent out with nothing but memories and some files on a hard drive.
I paid $60 or $80 bucks (Canadian) for half-life. Thats it. I have not spent a penny more on that game. I could quit today and start playing a couple years from now and it still won't cost me any more.
I already shell out $50 bucks (Canadian) a month for my net connection, why would I want to spend another $15 bucks (Canadian) just to play one game.
Sure I suppose the 10 bucks for one month is good for testing to see if you like the game, but thats about it.