[vyper]

mother****er - Windows XP Firewall was blocking steam...

[ChronoReverse]

SP2 firewall is kind enough to ask you if you want to unblock.  Unless you have some weird legacy application/hardware that can't run in SP2 or you REALL Y can't reformat and reinstall (always best to install service packs on clean installations), you really ought to upgrade to SP2.

As for HL2.  Meh to that.  I'm okay with encryption and anti-piracy (as long as it works), but when it stops people who bought the game, it's stupid.

Furthermore, releasing a fake warez copy of HL2 isn't the best way to endear yourself.

[Slasher]

I personally think Valve has been screwing their PR reputation since the release date fiasco last year.  Steam(ing pile of BS) only seems to piss off legit customers, like most copy protection devices do.  Valve should stop living in some fancy unreality where piracy can be eliminated and face up to the fact that eventually somewhere, someone is going to rip your game and distribute it for free.  HL2 takes enough time to start up as is without Steam hogging resources trying to find an internet connection on my computer that I happily deny it thanks (ironically) to my 56k dialup modem.

Steam =

[Fineus]

I take back everything fair I said about Steam working for me. It seems that Valve has updated it but that update is unavailable to me - ergo I can't play Half Life 2.

This is, quite frankly, rediculous.

[Blitzerland]

Man...maybe I won't buy HL2...i've had past-experiences with steam...and learning that you have to download Half Life 2 from it...

*Faints

[Flipside]

Just off to PC World, I think Rome, Total War beckons...

I certainly know what isn't.......

[aldo_14]

This installation process if seriously pissing me off.

EDIT; w00t - 5 figures!

[Knight Templar]

Wait, $40 MILLION ???

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Knight Templar
Wait, $40 MILLION ???

supposedly Valve spent the entire profit from the first game to develop the second.  Of course, you have to work out how much was spent on a spiffy new office & development setup, and what the slice of the profit was to Sierra..... which they may not have included in this little total.

But, games are expensive to make nowadays.  Didn't FS2 cost something like $2m?

[Taristin]

And was faaar superior to all of these supar high budget games anyway

[Grey Wolf]

Alpha 1 in an Ursa vs. the enemies in HL2: How long would it take?

[aldo_14]

Given that an Ursa carries warheads in the multi-megaton range..........

[Ace Pace]

Originally posted by Grey Wolf 2009
The actual difference is the prescence of the BR2 bridge chip, and the reason there's a short supply is quite simply because the major companies don't have them out in force. You mentioned seeing XFX, but the prices won't drop until you start seeing the MSI, Gigabyte, and Asus parts show up, as those are the three biggest motherboard/graphics card companies.

Another major difference is that you can't just convert a 6600GT in the PCI-E build to an AGP, its a whole differant chip layout, and adding the bridge design.

The 6600GT was never meant to reach the AGP market, it was supposed to be the mid end in the new PCI-E market.
If you want a mid range AGP card and don't want to wait for a 6600GT, get a 9800Pro.

[Liberator]

Ah, but there's the thing.  According to the reviews I've read, it is the same exact board since all nvidia did was add a special bus exchange they developed.

And that's kinda hypocritical anyway, making a supposedly main-stream card and them limiting it to a bus that most users that would make a purchase at that price point wouldn't have.

[Lightspeed]

I am saddened to know so many people support **** like this.

[Liberator]

The bus thing or the Steaming Pile o' Crap thing?

[Grey Wolf]

In the view of motherboard and graphics card companies, AGP is dead. Of course, in the view of consumers, long live AGP....

On a side note, the X800 is now in it's death throes, with it being replaced on the high-end X850. Remind anyone else of the 5800/5900 thing?

[Liberator]

So you're telling me that in a year if I decide to cobble a system out of spare parts I've got laying around, but I need an AGP video card that I'll be out of luck?  FFS!

[Ace Pace]

Originally posted by Liberator
So you're telling me that in a year if I decide to cobble a system out of spare parts I've got laying around, but I need an AGP video card that I'll be out of luck?  FFS!

Yes, AGP is dieing not from transfare reasons, but from power, everyone wants to move on, and the industry has reasons for moving as fast as possible to PCI-E.

And Liberator, the 6600GT also has some clock differances from chip to chip, and adding a bus isn't as easy as you think, it requires redesigning the PCB most of the time.

Mainstream for PCI-E, which is gaining popularity fast, since OEM's are now selling it bundlled.

Also, what X850? no one has it on the roadmaps.

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Liberator
So you're telling me that in a year if I decide to cobble a system out of spare parts I've got laying around, but I need an AGP video card that I'll be out of luck?  FFS!

I have a GF2MX 200 with a dodgy fan you can have for £200 if you need it, then