Tuesday, November 16, 2004 1:32 AM
szurgot
Waiting for Gordon...
As I sit here waiting for 12:01 PST, trying to decide if I feel like being up at 3:00 AM EST (not so much because I feel like playing at the moment it's released, but because I think this is a pretty important event, and I'm curious to see it happen, even if it is just a little icon moving from one section of a list to another.
The reason I think it's important is that it will demonstrate the first worldwide simultaneous release of a highly anticipated piece of software, weighing in at over 4GB of data, with a digital only, and physical media release. If this goes off, they will have demonstrated not only their techical brilliance, but the viability of digital transfer, not just in the form of install files, but as self-maintaining packages. You can also create backups in case you need to restore your machine (or just to make some room)
I have two real concerns at this point. One is that I think Valve is mishandling the update/authentication server issue. They got into a disagreement with Vivendi over Steam because Steam could really cut them out of distribution profits (and probably so) But due to retail pressures, Vivendi set a release date for the holiday season (today, obviously), and the games set to be released, went gold, and everybody's happen. But the game can't be played, either with physical media, or download, until those activation servers come online. At this point, however, there's no indication from Valve that today's the day (it's 12:45 EST as I write this) Instead, all they do is say that they would be in violation of contract if they turne don the authentication servers at this time. (They said this Sat, but haven't updated since) They should've just given the time (or a time on the 16th) and been done with it, instead of pointing fingers at Vivendi.
The second, and more important, is cost. This will be the real deciding factor in digital distribution of software, especially lower priced software. Half-life 2 comes in 2 different retail packages and 3 different Steam packages. (Interestingly, the most expensive package is on Steam, and comes with a whole bunch of physical stuff that they will mail to you, but no game media) The Steam version of the basic package is only $5 less than the retail package, which pretty much only pays the cost of the DVD and the time it'll cost to burn the disc. The second package is a little better because you get Half-life Source (The original game remastered under the new engine) plus access to all of Steams current offerings, and it's $20 less than the retail "Collector's Edition" (Which only comes with HL: Source and a T-Shirt) At any rate, Digital distribution needs to show a considerable markdown over retail distribution, because it it cutting out a large portion of the distribution chain. The positive side of all of this those, is that you should be able to make software available for an unlimited time, just setting the cost to strike an appopriate balance between demand and bandwidth and storage costs....
At any rate, enough rambling on this topic... Half-Life is just a game (albiet one that shows some incredible promise following up an incredible game), but Steam, Steam, I think, will really be able to take us (and our software) places...