Second-Hand Halflife 2 Problem

Half-Life Series
#1

Okay guys (and girls, of course - hi girls! waving),

I have been a serious dumbass and bought Half-Life 2 and the Episode Pack on amazon.com. Second hand, so it has been in use before. You can already imagine what my problem is, but I will articulate it anyway:

The product code is already in use, and I have not yet been able to contact the original owner of this copy. On the steam website I came across this:

I imagine that amazon.com, in this case, is exactly what they would call a “used software vendor”, is it not? I did not know about this when purchasing it, and now I am feeling seriously pissed. I have probably given my money to some asshole who keeps playing this game over steam, knowing that I cannot do shit with his copy. And yes, I AM feeling dumb like hell for not having known better in the first place, so please spare me with comments on that! If there is anybody else here having experienced similar problems and coming up with a possible solution (no illegal stuff, please!), I would be very grateful.

Before I buy this game a second time for an even larger prize in the next pc-and-video-market, I wanna know if there is anything I can do to make my LEGALLY purchased copies of HL2 and the Episodes actually work on my computer.

Many thanks in advance to all who will answer my question seriously.

DansonDelta40

#2

Just don’t buy second-hand stuff game from internet.

Buy game from steam is better. :slight_smile:

#3

I’m afraid, short of contacting Valve, there’s nothing you can do.

#4

So you are basically saying that I won’t be able to play this game ever? I have already installed steam and (desperate as I am) tried to contact valve. No reaction so far. They say in their disclaimer that people with used software will not be supported, so I can guess what my chances are. Not one single store in my range has this game. If I buy it on Amazon, I cannot play it, and on steam I cannot buy it because I have no credit card.

I am starting to hate this game… and what is even worse: I won’t be able to play Black Mesa: Source when it is finished!

#5

But you need to be over 18 to get a PayPal account, and that might be a problem. If he’s 17 (or under) like me that can be very frustrating.

#6

Is the content of the game on the CD? If so there has to be someway to get it off other than Steam.

#7

cough illegalcough

Actually, on the other hand, it really isn’t because he/she did give money for the game, so it makes it… well… a bit more… legal? :fffuuu:

#8

Buy it retail. There are lots of stores where you can buy HL2 and the episodes, or get the orange box, you get all three plus TF2 and Portal.
Plus with retail you get a neat box to look at and a manual to read while you wait for the download to finish. Or you used to get a manual, HL2 just has a reference card.

#9

I have just scoured the area for any stores likely to have it for sale and found a budget version of the orange box in the “classics”-category at a local entertainment electronics market. No neat box, no booklet, just two disks and a reference card. But it is the original content of the orange box, and I am installing it at the moment. Cost me another 20 euros, which really hurts, cause I am unemployed at the moment, but then again - there has not been much to be happy about in my life recently, except having a nice game to play every now and then. So I had to buy the game two times and plug my unprotected gaming computer to the internet, just to make it work. I seriously hope this game is damn good! :pirate:

#10

You won’t be disappointed.

#11

No you don’t. I’m not 18 and I have a Paypal account.

#12

Soo…why didn’t you just contact Valve and get them to move the CD key to your Steam account?

#13

They don’t support secondhand game buyers. Keeps them in buisness.

RE: The Orange Box: $80 or $100 worth of games for $30 or $40? WORTH IT.

#14

Taken from Pay-Pal’s User AgreementHere

So technically you have breached this agreement, im not going to say any thing but when it comes to money i always follow the rules.

#15

Lol, i bought The orange box for, what i think, is 25$ (250kr)

#16

It’s already on his steam account. There is no non-steam version of the orange box.

#17

I doubt it’d be the first EULA you’ve broken. Paypal doesn’t care as long as you don’t send your money to a scam and expect to get it back, then they’ll whip out the 18 years old thing.

Go to the bank and ask for all the details they ask for. They’ll help you out no problem.

#18

I actually tried to contact valve, but have not gotten any reply so far. I expected nothing more - their disclaimer on the steam website (quoted by me in the first posting of this thread) explicitly says that used software is not supported. And I unknowingly (meaning unaware of the consequences) bought Half-Life 2 and the Episode Pack from a third person on amazon.com, not from a market or store.

That’s why I decided to just buy it again, and this time the proper way. I didn’t want to have to wait for hours in front of my computer while I would be downloading it, and couldn’t imagne buying it again over the internet (which had been my major mistake in the first place), so I took a stroll around in the nearest city and luckily found one budget copy of the orange box in a large electronics and entertainment market.

I am actually quite something over eighteen, but have never yet had to use Paypal, and didn’t want to start now just because of one game. Although I must admit that now, after I have played a few chapters and also had a sneak peak at “Portal”, I think it was worth all the stress. Maybe “Portal” will even be something my girlfriend might have fun with (at least she could use a little training in three-dimensional-orientation).

So that’s it from me now. I have solved my problem and am content now with what I have. I hope all questions have been answered.

Thank all of you who actually tried to help - to those who only made unnecessary remarks or attempted to make fun of me I cannot say anything adequate.

Thread can be closed on my account.

See ya! DansonDelta40

#19

And everyone lived happily ever after. At least until we find the guy that sold it to you and break his legs.

#20

If you hadn’t bought it again, I could’ve easily gifted you a copy through STEAM, both HL2 and EP1 seeing as I own 4 copies of HL2 and at least 2 copies of EP1.

Founded in 2004, Leakfree.org became one of the first online communities dedicated to Valve’s Source engine development. It is more famously known for the formation of Black Mesa: Source under the 'Leakfree Modification Team' handle in September 2004.