Getting a second-hand game to work..

miniyazz

miniyazz

miniyazz

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Quick intro: I bought what looks like a retail copy of MW2 second-hand from the MM but in the small-print on the back of the box it says it needs activating via Steam to install. This fails because it was already activated for Steam, so it won't install. This is especially annoying as I'm not even fussed about playing online with it.

Does anyone have any words of wisdom about how to get the thing installed so I can use it offline?

Cheers
 
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MW2, sorry.

I always assumed a crack would be of more use once installed - would one help me actually install it?
 
Could be accidental :)


Edit: OK, what if - the seller changes his Steam password, gives me the details to the account for half an hour and I install COD, I delete Steam (I have no other Steam games so no need for it) and the seller reverts his Steam password. Would that let me play offline, do you think?
 
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Lol :D

I dunno how all those second-hand copies work, and there've been several more copies of COD:MW2 sold on the MM for PC in the past couple of months as well.

It seems such a waste to not even be able to play it offline, it's not like I'm about to buy it new from Steam, I don't care that much about it and I'm certainly less likely to buy anything from them after this debacle :(

I might try to find out what's happened with the other COD:MW2 sales in the MM.
 
That's a shame :(
Also looking closer, it looks like most of the MM sales of COD were for different versions (their naming system confuses me), i.e. COD4:MW not MW2 etc.
 
OK, well TBH I'd rather just be able to play single player and keep it than send it back for a refund. Does it definitely need Steam installed to play SP (offline)? Or is there a way round with a crack?
 
Well I didn't know they were tied to an account until a couple of hours ago :p

For a game downloaded from Steam I'd accept that you'd almost certainly know the rules with second-hand games - but for a copy bought from a store, that just happens to be activated through Steam - it's less cut and dried IMO.
 
Which doesn't mean it was a deliberate attempt to defraud a fellow MM user, it just means they didn't read the EULA, or whatever.
 
Yup, way to kill the PC gaming market Steam :thumbsup:

Especially when this game's for sale from them at a lolworthy £39.99, at well over a year of being released.. and BlackOps is available from here for that :p
 
I see your point there but I'd argue that
a) two people using it at different times (so one person buys it, plays it, sells it) is no different from one person buying it and his whole family playing on it as well as him
b) if the game has no resale value then fewer people (as per Mammalian's post earlier) will buy the game new, as they can no longer hope to reclaim some of the initial cost - and those that do buy it will have less money to spend on further new games since they won't have recouped any cost by selling their old games on
c) having a flourishing second-hand market keeps numbers online up, making a better multiplayer experience. Get rid of second-hand buyers-->fewer people online-->fewer people stay online-->online gets rubbish-->no-one buys it new either
d) I can't justify spending £30 or £40 on a PC game; neither can many other people, hence second-hand market instead of buying on release. They're not missing revenue from us by allowing second-hand sales, because they're never going to get that revenue.

So IMO, they're just cutting off their nose to spite their face. All it's going to do for them is increase piracy and restrict the PC gaming environment. It's not like you can't sell your Xbox 360 or PS3 COD:MW2 second-hand, why do it to PC games?
 
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In piracy you have say two people playing the game for each bought copy simultaneously whereas bought 2nd hand only one person plays the game for each bought copy at any one time. You might as well argue that retail copies of windows shouldn't be sold on once someone's finished using it.
 
A) I don't understand? :confused:

B) No, some people would still pay full value. Others would no longer be able to justify paying that much when they know they won't be able to recoup any money at resale.

C) Because if someone sells their game, it means they don't play it any more. Selling it on means someone will play it, ergo numbers go up :rolleyes:

D) CD Keys have been around for many, many years, and this is the first time I've encountered a game where the CD key permits only a once-only activation. And, massive generalisations for the win. Now, back to your hole, please, unless you'd like to throw any more insults my way :/
 
I'll certainly watch out for Steam games in future, thanks for the headsup.


B) of course not. You'd hamper it, that's all, and it really doesn't need that when it's already lagging behind console gaming so much.

C) If you want to be pedantic, it helps to maintain the number. It results in a higher number than without a second-hand market.

D) At risk of sounding like a cynical old man, it was much better in the days when companies weren't able to have complete control over what they sold you, forever. A CD key was to prevent piracy, not prevent others from enjoying the game after the original purchasers tired of it.
 
Re: copying down keys, fair enough, it never bothered me 'cause I'm not a sufficiently dedicated gamer to play online most of the time so if someone did that to a game they sold me, it wouldn't affect me.

@Gimpymoo: nope, it was hyperbole, but I certainly don't believe it's helping (cue last 15 posts :p)
 
One issue with Steam-linked games, that I've just noticed, is that it forces you to have an internet connection. OK, so everyone with Steam and almost everyone who buys a hard copy of a game in-store only to discover it has to be registered with Steam when they get home, will have internet. But what about those people who are behind network firewalls (some University campuses, for example) that block Steam?

That epitomises why I disagree with needing to register these things online. Essentially, it makes you jump through hoops for being a legit user and going out and buying it (hoops that those who pirate don't have to worry about - once they've downloaded the thing, it's plain sailing for them, no pun intended :D)

Yes, Steam does offer many benefits for those who want them/can take advantage of them, but IMO people shouldn't be forced to use it for offline play.
 
It's simples. With no second-hand sales, there will be a decrease in number of sales from those who would have bought it if second-hand sales were possible, and an increase in sales from those who would have bought it second-hand if possible but were forced to buy new instead. Personally I think the number of lost sales would outweigh the number of gained sales, but it's just speculation, there's no way to prove it either way.

And undoubtedly, the number of players online would be higher where second-hand sales were possible - because the proportion of those playing online vs just owning the game will be higher.

It's just a distinction that needs drawing between sales and online players :)
 
iviv said:
http://store.steampowered.com/stats/

3.1 million steam accounts have logged in within the last 24 hours, 73k of which have played Modern Warfare 2.

Now, 73,000 people playing a game... that doesn't sound like like its that dead, quite the reverse in fact?
Click to expand...

Firstly, that statement was hyperbole, I clarified earlier.

But statistics are meaningless without comparison. 73,000 people playing MW2 is irrelevant if 7,300,000 have played it on consoles in the last 24 hrs and, quite frankly, would signify PC gaming as dying if not altogether dead.
 
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