So is this right? (Steam)

[Biggs Su-2]

Just a quick question.

So I get my hands on a DVD copy of COD and load it onto my gaming rig at home (It's an off-line machine) Do I then have to connect it to the Internet and create an account with 'Steam' so I can go back to play COD off line?

Thanks in advance

B

p.s I'm not trolling, I just want to know the answer ;)

[ECV56_LeChuck]

You need to validate the copy, so, yes, you need a internet connection for the activation

[SEE]

Someone will correct me if I am wrong, but on the UBI site is an anouncement regards the new DRM for COD with a Q and A thread. I am sure that one of UBI replies stated (to a similar question) that if your home PC did not have Internet available you can activate it from any PC that does have Internet. You receive a code which you can then enter into your home PC when you get back.

[BadAim]

Not from what's been said so far. If you get a disk, you'll be able to either activate it on line directly or get a code online from another computer and activate with that. If you didn't buy it with steam all you'll need steam for is playing online (if that). That's unless something has changed, which despite all the panic, we have no reason to belive.

[Blackdog_kt]

Someone will correct me if I am wrong, but on the UBI site is an anouncement regards the new DRM for COD with a Q and A thread. I am sure that one of UBI replies stated (to a similar question) that if your home PC did not have Internet available you can activate it from any PC that does have Internet. You receive a code which you can then enter into your home PC when you get back.

This is for the solidshield DRM. Automatic activation creates a code, uploads it to the DRM server and gives you a second code that you use to unlock the game.

If you lack internet access you can do the manual activation which lets you monitor each of these steps. Assuming that your home PC is not connected to the internet for whatever reason, this is how it will probably need to be done (according to my understanding of the DRM's .pdf manual at least):

When you get to the point that the first code is created , you can save it (as a text file probably) on a removable storage device, take it to another PC that has internet access and upload it from there manually on their webpage. This will give you the unlock code which you can then also save on your removable storage device, take it back home, copy-paste it into the game activation tool on your own PC and unlock the game.

However, i don't know how Steam works in that regard. I guess that a Steam account isn't tied to a single, static IP (after all a lot of people get their internet access from ISPs that issue dynamic IPs), so maybe you can create a steam account from another PC, just like you can upload and download the codes for Solidshield.

I can think of two possible problems, which are assumptions based on what i've heard thus far about Steam from its users. I'm sure someone who's already a steam user will be able to clarify this in more detail and provide corrections if necessary, which are of course welcome... so if i'm wrong please do correct me instead of flaming me :-P

First of all, maybe the person whose PC you are using doesn't want to let you install steam.

Second, i don't know for sure but i suspect that in order to activate a game on Steam and get it "tied" to your account, there must be both a steam client and the game installation present on the PC you activate from.
If this is true, then it means that you will also have to install CoD on the PC you activate from (possibly wasting an activation in the process, if Solidshield needs to be activated before or during installation and the installation precedes the Steam-based portion of the activation process), or drag your PC case to a place that's hooked up to the internet and do everything from there.

In summary, the Solidshield activation lets you carry over the necessary data to another PC and receive the unlock code from there, but i don't know if something similar is possible with Steam without first having to install the game.

I know that once you create a steam account and tie it to the game, you can then install on another PC just fine and after logging into Steam it will appear in your list of purchased games without further action needed(but the 3 initial+1 extra per month activation rules of Solidshield will still apply). It's most probably also possible to create a Steam account on any PC. What i don't know is if it's possible to activate a game on Steam without it being installed on that PC first. If it's not, you will either have to take your PC to a place with internet access after you install, or install on a connected PC and use up a Solidshield activation in the process.

If any Steam users know the answer to this they will be able to give you better feedback.

[Fritz X]

^ Phew, I hope I can give you a proper answer, that sure was alot of text and I hope I got you right...

So yeah, you were right with your statement: If you buy a Steamworks game (a retail game that makes use of the Steam service) or buy a game online via the Steam Store, it is permanently tied to your Steam account and added to your games list. Steam doesn't tie your account / games to IP's nor to hardware setups and there is no such thing as an installation limit (at least not from Steam itself, but in a case like CoD there is, since they decided to add the Solidshield DRM).

So, how does Steam work? If you don't have a Steam account nor Steam installed and you buy a retail game that makes use of it, things work like this:

1.) Before the installation of the game, Steam is installed on your HD.

2.) You are able to create a Steam account then. If you already have one, you can log into it right then.

3.) You are asked to enter the product key that comes with the game. Once it is entered, the game is tied to your account. The product key can be only used once, so you can't use it again on another account.

4.) The game is installed from the CD / DVD. If you want to use your disk as a frisbee instead, you can also download the game via Steam (comes handy if you should lose your disk or in case it should get demaged).

5.) Once the game is installed, you can play it. You don't even need to insert a disk into your drive anymore.

If you want to install the game on another computer, just download the Steam installer from the official homepage or just do the same as already above and do it via disk. Log on into your account, click on the game in your library and hit the "install" button just as before. Some EULA's however "prohibit" installing the same game on multiple computers at once, though.

So, what Steam actually does is following: You can only play online with a single account from a single computer at once. Which means, you can't go online with the same account on two different computers simultaneously. And that's basically how the Steam DRM works.

[zipper]

From what I've seen in the case of CoD, Steam is simply a retail outlet. They do require an account to make the purchase for some reason (I wonder why that is - lol). Since they aren't tasked with DRM for CoD, for those who purchase elsewhere a steam account will only be required for use of Steam services. Those who wish to forgo these services may do so effortlessly.

This is just my understanding from the official posts. (define: official ... )