Half-Life 2 Preloading Starting Soon

**MIG-31** · Aug 23, 2004, 09:15 PM

The preloading of Half-Life 2 will start in less than 8 hours. In fact it's at 7:00 PST (PST=GMT-8) so we've got a little bit more to wait. Its purpose is to save some bandwith for the time when the game goes gold (one week or two) as it will download just textures and audio. Just install Steam if you haven't done it already and create an account. Over the Steampowered Forums people are getting more and more anxious to start preloading, but some try to stay positive.
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Read More: gamershell

germanjulian · Aug 23, 2004, 09:53 PM

anxious to start preloading...... lol the game is at least 2 weeks away and they wanna preload now... I think we all got plenty of time to download some textures..

Zardon · Aug 23, 2004, 09:58 PM

I think the whole point is to ease the load on their servers when the game is released. Even with their state of the art setup a few million people waiting for the second its released to hit "download" with files this size might cause a few issues.

Logla · Aug 23, 2004, 10:02 PM

Why do I get the sneakiest feeling that, after taking a week off work for HL2 last year, that I am ironically going to be on holiday and out of the country this year when its released.

dsdsdk · Aug 23, 2004, 10:03 PM

probably limiting the number of slots... so they wont have any problem... nb. it's only textures and audio you get to dl in the first round.

Zardon · Aug 23, 2004, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Logla

Why do I get the sneakiest feeling that, after taking a week off work for HL2 last year, that I am ironically going to be on holiday and out of the country this year when its released.

Im not quite sure what the panic is to get it anyway. Its going to be good but it wont be vanishing after the first day. Why do people need everything "instantly" now?

Patience, what difference is a few days more?. After all most of you have been waiting since last september anyway

dipstick · Aug 23, 2004, 10:08 PM

I'm wondering why the game hasn't gone gold yet if they're preloading things

dsdsdk · Aug 23, 2004, 10:12 PM

preloading things from the game.. the game will not be playable untill valve gives steam go for upping the last parts of the game.

Logla · Aug 23, 2004, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zardon

Im not quite sure what the panic is to get it anyway. Its going to be good but it wont be vanishing after the first day. Why do people need everything "instantly" now?

Patience, what difference is a few days more?. After all most of you have been waiting since last september anyway

Well the reason I'm so fidgity is that when I return from sunnier climes there will be people who have already had the experience before me - I went through a rough childhood where everyone else knew everything before I did.

They will all be talking about it before I have even had a chance to input my credit card number.

On the other hand, this will be a good excuse to stay on my internet detox while I'm away.

Zardon · Aug 23, 2004, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Logla

Well the reason I'm so fidgity is that when I return from sunnier climes there will be people who have already had the experience before me - I went through a rough childhood where everyone else knew everything before I did.

They will all be talking about it before I have even had a chance to input my credit card number.

On the other hand, this will be a good excuse to stay on my internet detox while I'm away.

Where you this excited about Doom3 or is it just HL2 logla? im curious.

Warpy · Aug 24, 2004, 12:49 AM

Can someone explain to me what it means when a game goes "GOLD" and what is steam?

ViRuS2k · Aug 24, 2004, 12:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Funky Monkey

Can someone explain to me what it means when a game goes "GOLD" and what is steam?

GOLD means the game is complete no more work to be done and it gets shipped out of VALVES house to his shipping company to be packaged retail like

and steam is VALVES way of letting people play in advance when the game hits the shops

i think all that is correct.

Warpy · Aug 24, 2004, 01:03 AM

Cool thanks Virus, one question though, how come the "shipment" of the game is never a security breach, surely theft is a huge issue?

MythicaL · Aug 24, 2004, 01:10 AM

Wait... so you HAVE to have Steam to play HL2? LAME!!

technonerd · Aug 24, 2004, 01:11 AM

Just like what virus said!

Gold is complete.

Steam is part of valve, trying to make it easier for to use their product, like updating and playing online with their games. I believe

The_Neon_Cowboy · Aug 24, 2004, 01:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MythicaL

Wait... so you HAVE to have Steam to play HL2? LAME!!

no but as soon as it's released it'll be on my pc! way before you have any chance to pick it up at the stores.....

Warpy · Aug 24, 2004, 03:03 AM

neon we need to chat if you catch my drift, or should I say Its in your interest to look me up on MSN for some info

phishdude · Aug 24, 2004, 04:25 AM

how many of you will be purchasing hl2 through steam instead of the conventional manner?

me, i've got a 55 dollar gift card to best buy

and, i prefer to have boxes and cds to look at. also, if someone "acquires" my steam password i would lose those games i bought.

The_Neon_Cowboy · Aug 24, 2004, 05:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phishdude

how many of you will be purchasing hl2 through steam instead of the conventional manner?

me, i've got a 55 dollar gift card to best buy

and, i prefer to have boxes and cds to look at. also, if someone "acquires" my steam password i would lose those games i bought.

long as you keep your cd key/proof .... your fine...

many of us get the game free from buying ATI cards

phishdude · Aug 24, 2004, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Neon_Cowboy

long as you keep your cd key/proof .... your fine...

many of us get the game free from buying ATI cards

i would be getting mine free from the ATI voucher, but i got excited when scratching off that key thingy and i accidently scratched all the way through the little card...so that i couldn't read it.

dpagan · Aug 24, 2004, 02:09 PM

i know steam is convinient but isn't it more for the purpose of avoiding piracy? by the way i do have steam and it works pretty good

dipstick · Aug 24, 2004, 02:13 PM

I want the Collectors Edition box set and I can only get it through retail. Otherwise steam would be good enough

The_Neon_Cowboy · Aug 24, 2004, 03:25 PM

Of couse no preload .....

Quote:

Originally Posted by phishdude

i would be getting mine free from the ATI voucher, but i got excited when scratching off that key thingy and i accidently scratched all the way through the little card...so that i couldn't read it.

WTF?

Quote:

Originally Posted by dpagan

i know steam is convinient but isn't it more for the purpose of avoiding piracy? by the way i do have steam and it works pretty good

not really.... thats just one of the many postives about steam, keeps you up to date and you can buy games, download them and play them no need to go to the store!

GutterPunk · Aug 24, 2004, 03:25 PM

I cant wait

ill be getting it asap this better be worth it... watch it be duke nukem graphics

The_Neon_Cowboy · Aug 24, 2004, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GutterPunk

I cant wait

ill be getting it asap this better be worth it... watch it be duke nukem graphics

preload delayed..........

god, why can't valve relese anything on time?

I think thier just slacking off.... they keep anounceing dates and pushing them back to get millions in free PR .. advertiseing..... so thier in the headlines.. to help build the hipe and antispation..

dpagan · Aug 24, 2004, 03:37 PM

pushed back again? i'm starting to run out of steam

GutterPunk · Aug 24, 2004, 03:54 PM

steam://preload/220 do i need steam tod ownload it it says page cannot be displayed or is that what ur talkin about neon as its delayed again

The_Neon_Cowboy · Aug 24, 2004, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GutterPunk

steam://preload/220 do i need steam tod ownload it it says page cannot be displayed or is that what ur talkin about neon as its delayed again

http://steampowered.com/forums/showt...hreadid=129458

you need steam lol

It apears they don't want release the tiny patch for the CS sourse beta
and the pre load at the some time or something... along those line who knows...

but insted of the pre load last night they released...
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/other-tech-news/54103-counter-strike-source-beta-update-released-3-a.html

phishdude · Aug 24, 2004, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Neon_Cowboy

Of couse no preload .....

WTF?

the voucher thing you get with your graphix card has a little grey box with a serial number inside that you are supposed to use to register your free copy at ATI, and it says don't scratch this off if you plan to RMA the card because the RMA will be void. well i didn't plan on RMAing the card, so i so started to scratch...well i kept scratching because i couldn't read 1 part 100% clearly but i accidently scratched the serial number all the way off...and i was sad.

Logla · Aug 24, 2004, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zardon

Where you this excited about Doom3 or is it just HL2 logla? im curious.

No where near as excited as for HL2 - the Doom series is just your average "run round and blast the shit out of everything in site without having to worry about a decent plot" kind of game

And DoomIII certainly seems to follow that recipie.

Aug 23, 2004, 09:15 PM	#1
MIG-31 HardwareHeaven News Mod Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Nottingham,UK Posts: 56,854 Rep Power: 471 System Specs	Half-Life 2 Preloading Starting Soon The preloading of Half-Life 2 will start in less than 8 hours. In fact it's at 7:00 PST (PST=GMT-8) so we've got a little bit more to wait. Its purpose is to save some bandwith for the time when the game goes gold (one week or two) as it will download just textures and audio. Just install Steam if you haven't done it already and create an account. Over the Steampowered Forums people are getting more and more anxious to start preloading, but some try to stay positive. _______________ Read More: gamershell __________________ Please Post Your News Submissions Here

Aug 23, 2004, 09:53 PM	#2
germanjulian Back in London Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: London Posts: 1,797 Rep Power: 0	anxious to start preloading...... lol the game is at least 2 weeks away and they wanna preload now... I think we all got plenty of time to download some textures.. __________________ /\|\ Asus P5W DH Deluxe, Intel C2D E6600, 2GB Corsair XMS2-6400C4 DDR2, E-VGA GeForce 7800 GT, Creative X-Fi Extreme Music, 500GB Seagate 7200.10 SATA, Lian Li PC-V1100 Aluminum Case Black, etc. http://germanjulian.com /\|\

Aug 24, 2004, 12:49 AM	#11
Warpy DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: USA Posts: 2,761 Rep Power: 0	Can someone explain to me what it means when a game goes "GOLD" and what is steam? __________________ The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help."

Aug 24, 2004, 01:03 AM	#13
Warpy DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: USA Posts: 2,761 Rep Power: 0	Cool thanks Virus, one question though, how come the "shipment" of the game is never a security breach, surely theft is a huge issue? __________________ The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help."

Aug 24, 2004, 01:10 AM	#14
MythicaL I like computers. Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: In front of a monitor Posts: 3,399 Rep Power: 89 System Specs	Wait... so you HAVE to have Steam to play HL2? LAME!! __________________ Always knew I didn't belong in this world. I wasn't made for this. But I'll never forget those who betrayed me, and those who never failed my trust.

Aug 23, 2004, 09:58 PM	#3
Zardon DriverHeaven Founder Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,480 Rep Power: 179	I think the whole point is to ease the load on their servers when the game is released. Even with their state of the art setup a few million people waiting for the second its released to hit "download" with files this size might cause a few issues.

Aug 23, 2004, 10:02 PM	#4
Logla HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 3,311 Rep Power: 0	Why do I get the sneakiest feeling that, after taking a week off work for HL2 last year, that I am ironically going to be on holiday and out of the country this year when its released.

Aug 23, 2004, 10:03 PM	#5
dsdsdk DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Denmark, CPH. Posts: 586 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	probably limiting the number of slots... so they wont have any problem... nb. it's only textures and audio you get to dl in the first round.

Aug 23, 2004, 10:08 PM	#7
dipstick HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: USA Posts: 3,609 Rep Power: 71 System Specs	I'm wondering why the game hasn't gone gold yet if they're preloading things

Aug 23, 2004, 10:12 PM	#8
dsdsdk DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Denmark, CPH. Posts: 586 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	preloading things from the game.. the game will not be playable untill valve gives steam go for upping the last parts of the game.

Aug 24, 2004, 01:11 AM	#15
technonerd DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Posts: 594 Rep Power: 0	Just like what virus said! Gold is complete. Steam is part of valve, trying to make it easier for to use their product, like updating and playing online with their games. I believe

Aug 24, 2004, 03:03 AM	#17
Warpy DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: USA Posts: 2,761 Rep Power: 0	neon we need to chat if you catch my drift, or should I say Its in your interest to look me up on MSN for some info __________________ The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help."

Aug 24, 2004, 04:25 AM	#18
phishdude DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 58 Rep Power: 0	how many of you will be purchasing hl2 through steam instead of the conventional manner? me, i've got a 55 dollar gift card to best buy and, i prefer to have boxes and cds to look at. also, if someone "acquires" my steam password i would lose those games i bought.

Aug 24, 2004, 02:09 PM	#21
dpagan DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 249 Rep Power: 0	i know steam is convinient but isn't it more for the purpose of avoiding piracy? by the way i do have steam and it works pretty good

Aug 24, 2004, 02:13 PM	#22
dipstick HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: USA Posts: 3,609 Rep Power: 71 System Specs	I want the Collectors Edition box set and I can only get it through retail. Otherwise steam would be good enough

Aug 24, 2004, 03:25 PM	#24
GutterPunk I = Greatest Dood Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Nebraska Posts: 5,949 Rep Power: 71	I cant wait ill be getting it asap this better be worth it... watch it be duke nukem graphics __________________ Rock On \m/ Thank you Mousey for the Sig! --------------- Intel Core2Duo E6660 (3.4GHZ) ~ Tuniq Tower 120 ~ Enermax Galaxy 1000W ~ Corsair Dominator @ 1090MHZ 5-5-5-15 (OCZ XTC Modded Cooler)~ EVGA 8800GTX W/ HR-03 Plus 120MM ~ Asus DVD-RW LiteScribe ~ LG DVD-RW ~ Corsair Voyager 2GB ReadyBoost Drive ~ Vantec Nexus Fan Controller ~ ThermalTake Armor 25CM fan ~ Personal Finance Blog: Dent Your Debt

Aug 24, 2004, 03:37 PM	#26
dpagan DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 249 Rep Power: 0	pushed back again? i'm starting to run out of steam

Aug 24, 2004, 03:54 PM	#27
GutterPunk I = Greatest Dood Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Nebraska Posts: 5,949 Rep Power: 71	steam://preload/220 do i need steam tod ownload it it says page cannot be displayed or is that what ur talkin about neon as its delayed again __________________ Rock On \m/ Thank you Mousey for the Sig! --------------- Intel Core2Duo E6660 (3.4GHZ) ~ Tuniq Tower 120 ~ Enermax Galaxy 1000W ~ Corsair Dominator @ 1090MHZ 5-5-5-15 (OCZ XTC Modded Cooler)~ EVGA 8800GTX W/ HR-03 Plus 120MM ~ Asus DVD-RW LiteScribe ~ LG DVD-RW ~ Corsair Voyager 2GB ReadyBoost Drive ~ Vantec Nexus Fan Controller ~ ThermalTake Armor 25CM fan ~ Personal Finance Blog: Dent Your Debt