Valve Ban 20,000 Steam Accounts: HL2 Piracy

[Xavier]

Seems Valve have been watching the use of dodgy keys on Steam since release and have just begun banning 20,000 steam users and deleting their accounts for using known dodgy cdkeys and fixes to try and stop steam from calling home:

http://www.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=184810&perpage=15&pagenumber=1

For the most part, I expect many warez monkeys will just create a new account, and wait for another crack or whatever, but looking at the above thead there are people who claim to also have valid purchases on the accounts Valve are deleting - even if they write it into their EULA is that legal?

Microsoft for instance have never outright disabled copies the shifty devilsown corp key of XP which was doing the rounds when XP first came out, because they knew they'd be taken to the cleaners for preventing people getting at their own data. If Valve have banned accounts tied to legitimate purchases surely they're doing something very similar? Valve claim to have this much control over their code, why not just block out HL2 for that account - it seems like a pretty big "kick me" sign imho...

I'm not condoning what the offending parties have done, times have moved on quite seriously in the last year, first StarForce buggering up our machines and now this...

 

[Durzel]

True, MS didn't disable dodgy copies of DevilsOwn Windows XP, but they stopped SP1 being installed on them (or did it re-activate activation after the event? I can't remember).

Not being able to install SP1 on Windows XP and being unable to use Windows Update is practically rendering it obsolete anyway what with all the vulnerabilities around.

 

[Xavier]

Well that would be no different to valve stopping the warezed key from patching, rather than locking stupid warez chimps out of their legitimate purchases too. I do kind of like the punishment but can also see it becoming a topic of litigation...

 

[Panda On Smack]

I think the stupid children who play HL put me off going near the game.

Nice to see lots of people getting banned, especially when most of them are probably annoying kids thinking they are cool haxoring the game and playing for nothing. Sadly forum posts in cap letters with an abundance of swear words will be on the rise.

 

[Panda On Smack]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica]Waldo. In all honesty i believe my cousin tried to use that key on my account...

If u want i can put a screenie of my receipt of hl2. I payed $90 in full!!

how can u guyz do this ?!?! over the years ive put over 200 onto cs, hl, cz. and now omg its all gone?


OmG!! im about too start crying man plz ! help me out man!

omg!!

ahhh[/font]

TEH GAY?!

 

[Bodhi]

True, MS didn't disable dodgy copies of DevilsOwn Windows XP, but they stopped SP1 being installed on them (or did it re-activate activation after the event? I can't remember).

Not being able to install SP1 on Windows XP and being unable to use Windows Update is practically rendering it obsolete anyway what with all the vulnerabilities around.

There was a cracked SP1 doing the rounds, kept the devilsown key going longer than you think.

 

[Tom]

You don't need any cracked SP1, there are........other methods.........

 

[~Yuckfou~]

I'm gonna tell.....







meanwhile from csnation:

Update: There has been a more in-depth official word from Valve about the illegal accounts.

As previously noted, Valve has been monitoring a large group people who illegally downloaded Half-Life 2. This little crackdown on illegal users came full circle yesterday by a posting from Waldo on the Steampowered.com forums.
Yesterday, Valve disabled approximately 20,000 Steam accounts which had been used to try to access Half-Life 2 without purchasing it. The method used was extremely easy for Valve to trace and confirm, and so there is no question that the accounts disabled were used to try and illegally obtain Half-Life 2.

Accounts also may be closed due to fraudulent activity in an attempt to obtain additional products for your Steam Account. This includes Credit Card fraud, theft of accounts you do not own and using cracked versions of Valve games.

If you violate the Steam Subscriber agreement your account can be permanently disabled and you will lose any products registered to those accounts.

Also, a few myths floating around out there that need to be cleared up.

First, Valve did not put out any kind of fake key or fake warez or hack instructions to trap people. The hack came from the "community" as do they all.

Second, the number of people who actually had bought HL2 and used the CD key cheat was VERY small. VERY small. Most people just tried to rip off the game and not bother buying it.




Fucking LOL tbh. I've got a mental picture of 20,000 fucknuts headbutting their monitors in anguish. DOH!

 

[Tom]

For the most part, I expect many warez monkeys will just create a new account, and wait for another crack or whatever, but looking at the above thead there are people who claim to also have valid purchases on the accounts Valve are deleting - even if they write it into their EULA is that legal?

They stole the game, what are they going to say to a judge? Its not fair?

They can claim this that and the other, but if their account has been used to play a hacked version of the game, or CC fraud, tough shit.

 

[rynnor]

Microsofts software is used by large corporations who have their own legal departments who would love to sue a company with the funds of microsoft.

HL2 is played by individuals (many of whom are juvenile) who lack the funds to sue.

More importantly Microsoft could get sued for loss of revenues/profits etc whereas HL2 users would be suing for their 90$ back...

Consumer legislation might help you get your money back from the retailer but when it was written this situation was never envisaged so good luck on that one...

 

[Sar]

Heh, now just to ban their Steam forum accounts.

 

[Mr.Bee]

how can they not buy this game! the developers deserve every penny

 

[old.user4556]

Yes, yes! Developers deserve every penny, infact you should pay them more!

 

[Panda On Smack]

how can they not buy this game! the developers deserve every penny

Because of who they are, because they could get it for free.

Common sense tells you to buy games like HL2 but unsuprisingly average joe wanting to play it is a bit of a nob cheese.

 

[betelgeuse™]

Yes, yes! Developers deserve every penny, infact you should pay them more!

Totally agree - only thing is that most of the profits do not go to the developers, a lot will go to Vivendi for "marketing" - which is been done pretty poorly.

 

[nath]

Actually when you buy it from steam not as much (if any) goes to vivendi.

 

[old.Tohtori]

how can they not buy this game! the developers deserve every penny

I'm a developer. I get paid for doing games. I get shhht all from sold games.

 

[throdgrain]

Probably crap games I bet

 

[old.Tohtori]

Probably crap games I bet

I thought San Andreas is good by normal standards...

 

[throdgrain]

Never heard of it mate ?

 

[gmloki]

Is San Andrea the new sims game ?

 

[old.user4556]

Is that an earthquake simulator game?

 

[Scouse]

Is that an earthquake simulator game?

Fuckin' lol

 

[Mr.Bee]

I'm a developer. I get paid for doing games. I get shhht all from sold games.

Im a developer too, no offence but what kind of silly comment is that? if games arent sold then they wouldnt be made now would they...

anyway where do you think your bonuses come from ;p

 

[old.Tohtori]

Im a developer too, no offence but what kind of silly comment is that? if games arent sold then they wouldnt be made now would they...

anyway where do you think your bonuses come from ;p

Bad game that surely didn't sell.

Another game that surely didn't sell.

Got loads more of games that arn't sold, but are still made.

And what's a bonus?

EDIT: Oh and...didn't develop San Andreas - Tale of Saint Andy, but still thought it was rather good.

 

[Gef]

Dont understand this, there is a copy of HL2 out floating around the networks that works fine without Steam activation, or even the need to have Steam installed. It was released on Usenet about 20 hours after the game launched. My housemate has been playing it, i'm not really fussed, didnt see the big deal in the first one!

I really dont see how Steam has helped anyone, appart from adding extra frustration to the people who do actually pay for the game. By adding some more software to their PC that hogs memory and adds extra time to bootup, they are doing their customers a dis-service.

Really dont see the logic sometimes, my mrs bought the Shrek 2 DVD over the weekend. It has 5 mins of adverts at the start of the it THAT YOU CANT SKIP!! I mean wtf is that about! The more of this crap they start to add to games/films the more it makes me think that pirating things is actually not such a bad option. At least with a decent DVD-rip you can start watching the film when you'd like to!

I wish games manufacturers would do away with the crappy CD protection too, its the easiest thing in the world to find a NOCD crack for pretty much ANY game out there. It just adds extra annoyance when you do actually pay for a game and have to scrabble through game boxes looking for the CD.

Bit of a rant but its all true, and its only gonna get worse! Just look forward to the day when you have 6 different 'Steam' clones sat in your system tray ... w00t!

 

[Lazarus]

well, tbh - Im actually a fan of steam. No, not the kinda that runs out and buys the T-shirt etc.
I remember the "good old days" waiting for the release of the updates which you had to download (round about 50mb and larger) and on 56k usually had to wait longer until someone was kind enough to burn it to CD.

also had the delays of trying to get to a download server to get the bleeding thing in the first place.

I have to admit, I havent had a problem with Steam AT ALL, which couldnt be corrected with the proper config.

Most problems with Steam/CS/HL etc are usually caused by people blindly frigging about with their systems.

The smaller downloads which steam automatically download and install is better (imo)

/dons flame retardent suit

 

[nath]

There's nothing wrong with liking steam - it's a good idea, having it all integrated. It should just bloodywell be optional. rargh.

 

[Clown]

Having found that I'm liking CS:S, I might install this Half Life Generations package that I've never opened, to install the original Counterstrike - I'm scared though. Is it worth it? How do I get steam to interfere with that installation? I'm pretty sure it wasn't around back then.

 

[leggy]

Don't install that generations package there is no need.
Cs is available through steam.