I had heard this was a great game but I’ve never played it because it was bundled wih a shooter, and I almost never play shooters.But I saw it as a stand alone today and bought it cheap.
But it does not install Portal, it installs Steam.Then it says it is installing Portal but nothing happens.So I connect to the internet in case it needs to be registered or some thing.Then Steam starts slowly updating(I’m on dialup). Still updating and still no Portal.
Did I pay for the dvd to get the right to download a bloody game? Because that’s what Steam does, correct? Or do I have to go thru all this crap to install from my dvd??
If you’re on dialup then Steam will update slowly. You need Steam to be fully updated, then you can install Portal, then it will validate, then you’ll have to update Portal, then you can play. On my cable internet this process took about 20 minutes for CounterStrike (and the cavalcade of shit that comes with it), so you’re in for a slog. Go do something else while things download.
Yeah, unfortunately on dial-up you’re going to have to wait a long time to update Steam. Then it should be a short verification and final download for Portal, but updating Steam is going to take a while. Sorry!
Upon re-reading, you seem to be quite upset. You do realize your internet sucks, right? It may or may not be your fault, but the game does say that an internet connection is required, and Valve assumes everyone has the sort of internet that downloads anything under 10 megs near instantly.
Why do I need Steam? I bought Portal. I have an internet connection, which is usually just fine for registering/validating.The box says nothing about needing to download anything to play.
If I need to download a program or patch I do it in the office, I really have no need to pay for a faster connection at home, usually.
Yeah, you’ll be glad for it in the end, as Portal is freakin’ awesome, but in the short term, I’m sorry it has to be so difficult for your normal routine. :( Your expectations may have to change fairly soon…
These days, if you’re still using dial-up, you pay the price. Steam has come a long way since the launch fiasco of Half-Life 2, these days it’s a pretty nice application. I can see how it would be annoying if you’ve never used Steam, have a dial up connection, and just want to quickly play a game. As others have said though, you better get used to it if you want to keep playing games.
I hate to say it, but get some freakin’ broadband already. When Steam first launched I was still stuck on dialup because I had no choice in the area where I lived, and I hated the idea of digital distribution. Now that I’ve got broadband, I can honestly say Steam is really awesome.
Broadband isn’t very expensive nowadays though. You really ought to upgrade.
In your situation I’d use a crack. You’ve put down your money, so you’re ethically in the clear, and it will almost certainly take less time to download and install than Steam will take to update.
Ex-Microsoft employees. WildTangent’s founder was one of those too.
Where I am, dial-up is more expensive than broadband, and I think that’s how it’s going to play out soon. I join the rest in suggesting you switch to broadband if that’s available for a comparable price. In any event, not just for games - broadband will really open up your internet experience.
Finally it upgraded Steam, and let me create an account and then locked up logging on four times. Locked up twice while installing but I think it is about ready to install correctly. All this for a disc that I bloody bought in a store. Started as an annoyance and became a fucking joke!!
It’s funny, I’m sure I don’t buy or play as many games as I used to, but in the last six months or so, I have purchased Bioshock,The Witcher,Sherlock Holmes Nemesis, Mass Effect, and Civilization. Not a single one required me to install another program to use them,and each installed and played fine on my system without requiring a faster internet connection. Is this a Valve only thing?? If so, I will not bother with their games in the future…
To add, as I typed this, it is apparently installed, and is still slowly updating…:( Didn’t this game come out a year ago?? Why provide a DVD version that requires patching??
The updates for Portal itself shouldn’t be necessary. You can tell it not to auto-update a game by right-clicking on it in the My Games list and going to properties.
Steam is Valve’s own anti-piracy thingy, but unlike the others, it actually gives you benefits to offset its necessity (re-downloading of any game you buy, simple installs, automatic background updating, and sometime in the future: online saved games). But using dialup, you won’t be in the best position to make use of those benefits, sadly.
Seriously, you are over-reacting, and are like 4-5 years late on the hate train. So late, in fact, that none of us actually hate Steam any more. As for giving up on Valve games, that would be a mistake since now that you have installed Steam and made a profile you’ll never have to do it again (unless you get a new PC, but you should invest in better internet before that), and Valve has some damn good games.
