[Unknown Target]

If someone would bring a class-action lawsuit against Valve for this, everything would stop dead in its tracks, and Valve would be dead in the water.

[Fineus]

So what's stopping someone? We live in a society where lawsuits are socially acceptable - even common place.

Sure, Valve are great games developers - but they're not untouchable for it.

[Liberator]

I did a quick search on google, Kal, and I got more advertising links to buy HL2 than I did articles that mention HL2 and class action lawsuit in the same article.

There is a lot of bad blood associated with Steam and the insane, megalomaniacal actions Valve has taken recently.  The problem, I think, is that no one in the damaged party(the gamers who bought HL2 and/or have been defrauded by Valve through their use of Steam in one way or another) who has stood up to organize them for a lawsuit.

[Unknown Target]

I actually would, but I have no grounds, as my Steam acount and Half Life 2 worked fine.

Seriously,w ho wants to start a campaign to get everyone together and sue vlve for all of this?

[aldo_14]

Don't Vivendi have some form of anti-Steam lawsuit going anyways?

[Fineus]

Considering they're the signed publisher - and by definition Steam goes over any publishers heads and directly streams content to the user from the developer - they certainly should do.

What good is having a publisher who pays to publish your game, when you go around them and deliver/promote your software via another medium so that they don't see a dollar of the money made?

I used to think that doing away with publishers was a good thing - it allowed developers the last say in what they do - cutting out the middle man and allowing lower prices. However - if the end result is actually making it harder for law abiding consumers to enjoy the product they paid money for - at the same price or higher than they would do in a store via a publisher
- then Valve can go to hell. The theory is right - but the execution and end result has been horribly bastardised.

[Ghostavo]

*predicts Interplay's fate for Valve in few years time*

[Liberator]

Did some more digging:

Valve sued VU for behaving like a publisher and sticking their products(valve's games) in their cyber-cafes.

Valve had complained that Vivendi - then known as Sierra On-Line - had breached its contract by placing copies of its games in cyber cafes. The US Federal District Court in Seattle agreed, with damages yet to be decided.

'We're happy the court has affirmed the meaning of our publishing contract,' Gabe Newell beamed. 'This is good news for Valve and its cyber café partners around the world.'

That isn't the end of the ruck though, there are still court appearances for the two concerning alleged unpaid royalties and the delay of Counter-Strike: Condition Zero and allegations that Valve misled the publisher regarding the development of the Steam online distribution system.

They won.

Valve has got a serious case of megalomania concerning their IP, some of it is warranted sure, but they've seriously drunk the whole pitcher of Kool-Aid.  

How moddable is HL2 outside of the tools Valve provided(and thus Steam)?

[MicroPsycho]

I almost want a legit copy of HL2 and have it not work just so I can sue Valve.

[Triple Ace]

I just stirred up the hornets nest at the steam forums. The posts I did are the ones that are adressing Taylor Sherman due to he is the Valve guy that is always at the boards. My user name there is shilob. That name is a mix of my first and last name.

[Liberator]

TA, that does not look like a particularly nice forum unless you brown-nose Valve at every opportunity(HL2 pwnz0rs and whatnot).  

If I could I would send you some money and help you look for lawyer to file a Class-Action against Valve for defrauding their users.  Their methods of protecting their IP have ruined their standing in a lot of peoples eyes and it's not just that people are having problems with HL2, if Steam burps it kills all the games registered to it, as if somehow because it thinks you h4x0r3d HL2 that the other games are h4x0r3d too.  I'd take your copy back to Wal-Mart and get exchange it for something else.

[JR2000Z]

I fail to see why this is Valve's fault. If it is the hackers that stole your account then it's the hacker's fault. And Valve is *actually* giving you support so I see no reason to complain.

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Liberator
Did some more digging:

Valve sued VU for behaving like a publisher and sticking their products(valve's games) in their cyber-cafes.



They won.

Valve has got a serious case of megalomania concerning their IP, some of it is warranted sure, but they've seriously drunk the whole pitcher of Kool-Aid.  

How moddable is HL2 outside of the tools Valve provided(and thus Steam)?

Look at the (quoted in your post) counter-suit by Vivendi, though; questions the whole legality of the Steam system to sell producst through, IIRC.

[Triple Ace]

After a while of complaining I got my account back. This thread can be officially closed.

[Jetmech Jr.]

Good to hear. Saw that STEAM forum discussion you started. Jesus Christ, bl4h, Better off Dead, and MadManGamer really need to chill. What assholes. Any idea how your CD key was used?

[Flipside]

Well, you have paid cash for a game that their own poor Admin meant you could not play, personally, I think you are entitled to compensation for the time you had your 'money' sitting around doing nothing at their behest

[Thorn]

And maybe a bit more from the treatment you got from their wonderful "customer service" representatives.

[pyro-manic]

Good news. But I'm never paying for anything involving Steam or the like again. It's too much hassle...

[Thorn]

It actually was no hassle at all for me when I did it. Put in credit card info and an hour and 5 gigs later it was done. Simple as that.