I eventually got round to installing HL2 on my laptop - I've had the game since christmas but got some time today to have a play.

Anyway is this some sort of record because I started installing it around midday and it still hasn't finished with all the steam updates, game updates, decrypting this that and the other etc? At the moment it's sitting there 9 hours later telling me the game will start in 211 minutes - wtf. It is sooooo slow to download anything off the steam servers, and I'm guessing it's because of where I am in europe. But I'm using a 1 MB adsl connection, but most of the time it's just sat there waiting, and waiting and waiting.

I like the idea of steam, but surely a game should never take this long to install. I've also had my lad bugging me all day about this crap, and I've found the whole experience hideously frustrating.

Hoo 'bloody' ray, it has started at last.................and now it's sat there at the splash screen downloading more shit, AND steam has taken 99% CPU.....I fuckin' hate this game aleady

...and now it won't start in off-line mode LMAO, pretty unlucky for me, it being installed on a laptop and all. Although nipping to a nearest Wireless Access Point somewhere shouldn't be a problem

'Scuse all the angst btw, but this all sucks!!!! I'm talking to myself too :-o

Ah, I do that all the time. Fun ain't it?

I'd say even on a fairly new laptop, the process could take a good bit longer than on a desktop.

a lot longer, I recall activation being about 10mins or so. Nothing more. Steam was 'broken' yesterday in so far that it wouldn't complete an update, but I rebooted and the update downloaded fine.

Okay, got it running, at last - even on a Laptop (a fast laptop mind). But why won't it start in off line mode???? I take this lappy all over and want the game to run outside of my wireless LAN range...........shit this has been a lllllllooonnnnnnggggg day so far!!!!!!!!!! Heelpp!!!!

works fine here online and offline. Assuming its being activated and then you restart steam (by closing then reopening - dunno if its needed, but one would assume so).

I was extremely lucky I guess, its was as easy as I make it out to be for me

ps. playing games on a laptop is extremely gay... no offense I just would never wish to do it, unless I had no option or something. You not got a suitable PC I take it?

I think I've sussed out the off-line problem. Effectively steam wasn't closing properly i.e. I exited it, but it remained running in the process list. Binned it and rebooted, OK now.



No offence taken and yeah probably is a bit ghey. 2 reasons to use a laptop though. My desktop PC is no way good enough to play HL2 and secondly I'm going to be working away on and off soon, so I wanted HL2 on the move.

I downloaded some cracked version quite a while ago wich didn't need the steam account

I have a 5 CD version that I uninstalled cuz I stupidly let steam update itself, and then it wouldn't run no more.
Haven't figured out a way around it yet.
Haven't looked much either, though.
I can do without HL2 so long as I have my Medieval Total War, and Subspace Continuum to play.

P.S. Continuum rules, and it's free.
http://beginners.subspace.net/

Upgrade drpoop, Rome totally owns it in every aspect

Does it own Medieval Total War with the Viking Invasion add-on?
Cuz I have that addon.

I actually just found out I have a copy of Rome Total War that I dl'd and burned. I didn't even know I had it. LOL.
I'll try it out.

I hope it runs OK. I only have a ATI 9600XT with 256 megs of video RAM on an AMD 1600+ with 512 DDR. You think I'll make it at 1024X768?
I can play HL2 at 1024X768.

of course it does, Rome is what they've been working on for years, just file Medieval awy you won't need it.

I sometimes have framerate problems, my system is due for an update:
Athlon XP 2400+ (~2GHz)
1GB DDR RAM
ATI 9800XT

and a monkey can play HL2 at 1024x768 Doesn't say much in itself without what effects you have turned on

Just had a buddy go through what I did installing HL2. Again it took him all DAY to do it. Now I've seen this over at slashdot http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?si ... 0&from=rss

This sucks

Steamless install:
http://www.mgforums.com/forums/showpost ... stcount=13

I like this right at the end

In all fairness the disk check was removed in a later update.

Nooooo, I made the fatal mistake of starting HL2 whilst connected. NOW it's trying to update the Steam Platform - which since yesterday (and after numerous attempts - probably hundreds) has never risen above 58%, no matter how long I leave it.

Without doing this fuckin' update 'HL2 is unavailable to start in off-line mode'. Bastards.

I've spent too long in the steam forums trying to figure this shit out, and frankly I've had enough. Thanks PC_Arcade for the link above, but I shouldn't have to do this. This whole scenario sucks and whilst the idea of steam is sound, the implementation of it leaves a lot to be desired.

Whilst looking for a sticky on how to get a refund I got this:



Just about sums this shit up.

I was about to rant in their forums, but as they are down, felt I had to let off steam here (no pun intended btw).

Hhhm, I grew bored of my donwloaded version that I could play on or offline and that cost me nothing.

Call me crazy but this game was fun for a short time, then it was just pap. No I did not get stuck, just was not anything special for me. LOL I spent more time playing Counterstrike that came with it.

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/s ... did=253703

Is this you killingjokezzz? If so congrats on the refund