Be Excellent To Each Other

So, I remember just after I got Steam with HL2, I installed the original Half Life and Steam sort of latched on to it and claimed it as it's own. Fair enough, saves me using the CD or looking for updates.

Now question: Is this behaviour just for Valve games? I have a DVD copy of San Andreas that I want to install on my new laptop. I like the idea of no-cd play but I want to be able to slot in my saved games. Will Steam latch onto San Andreas when it's installed? Do I have option of denying it?

Cheers PC Gaming fans!

Sorry I am new to sream.. and its ways

edit: and I have only just learnt how to move my steam files to a different HDD.

It's not just Valve games, but unsurprisingly it IS only games designed to do this.

Don't know if GTA:SA is but say, RACE is despite not being Valve even when you install the disk, no you do not have a choice.

I really want to run it no-cd style y'see and most of the no-cd hacks I've seen are full of viruses and other scary guff.

Also, really need those saves, I'm not doing the early part of that game again. No fucking way.

I know you can register non steam games with steam, but I am not sure what this does.

but SA is a steam game now, that's why I was curious

That shouldn't be at all. Where are you getting them from?

it's been a while. I used to go to gamecopyworld

Never had a bad one off GCW.

I may have clouded memories. Tell y'all what, I'll dive in and try it He who dares and all that

Likewise. It's the one site I would recommend (not because I've tried them all, but because it has a good selection, works, and is safe).

Thirded.

There are only a handful of games that will let you add retail versions to your steam account. You can add any game to your steam games list, but all this does is add a shortcut to the game to steam (so it would still need the disc).

Basically all Valve games, and the following:
Alpha Prime
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
Defense Grid
Football Manager 2009
GTI Racing
GTR Evolution
Lost Planet: Extreme Conditions
NBA 2K9
Prey (not all)
RACE - the WTCC Game
RACE 07
Ragdoll Kung Fu
Red Orchestra
SiN Episodes: Emergence
The Ship
STCC - The Game
Worldwide Soccer Manager

This is how I got my copies of The Ship and Dark Messiah (for a few quid each). Once they are on your steam account, you can download them anywhere, and will not need a CD. Most of these games either used some valve tech (like Steamcloud for multiplayer, or source engine), or were originally released on steam.

Lewie P. You get the biscuit. Thanks mate!

World Of Goo is addable to your Steam account, too.

No, it isn't.

Ah. OK then, my copy of World Of Goo was addable to Steam.

Fixed and all that. Certain virus checkers are especially fond of this, for example the version of AVG available at Bioshock's release famously deleted the game's own exe as a false positive (hnng!). As mentioned, if you get them at GCW you should be fine, regardless what your antivirus is telling you.

On a related note, is the PC version of Braid coming out anytime soon? I heard it was going to come on Steam.

I wouldn't have thought so. It'd cost a fortune!