Installing the Orange Box via disc

[Geebanger0]

Today I bought a physical copy of the Orange Box, mostly just to have it as a collectors item. However, I thought it might be fun to play the games on it, specifically TF2 as it's changed so much since release.

I know you need a Steam account in order to download the games from the disc. That's obviously not a problem, but my main concern is whether it's possible to just download the 2007 version of the games off the disc or if you're forced to update them to the latest version. I don't have a disc reader on my laptop, so I can't test it, and it's not worth buying an external one just to play modern day TF2.

TLDR: can you download just the 2007 version of TF2 from the Orange Box disc, or are you forced to update it?

[ReBoot]

You're forced to update anyway, that disk is a coaster. Or a collector's item.

There's 2 TF2 variants on the Steam store now, in addition to the actual one. One of those variants strives to recreate TF2 as it was back then. You should check said variants out.

[Geebanger0]

Originally posted by ReBoot:

You're forced to update anyway, that disk is a coaster. Or a collector's item.

There's 2 TF2 variants on the Steam store now, in addition to the actual one. One of those variants strives to recreate TF2 as it was back then. You should check said variants out.

By forced to update it, do you mean you can install the 2007 version but can't run it until it's updated, or you can't install the 2007 version at all and it just installs the latest one?

[ReBoot]

Originally posted by Geebanger0:

Originally posted by ReBoot:

You're forced to update anyway, that disk is a coaster. Or a collector's item.

There's 2 TF2 variants on the Steam store now, in addition to the actual one. One of those variants strives to recreate TF2 as it was back then. You should check said variants out.

By forced to update it, do you mean you can install the 2007 version but can't run it until it's updated, or you can't install the 2007 version at all and it just installs the latest one?

It's the latter. Steam will check the patch level of the disc archive, find that literally everything in this archive is out of date and pull the current data off the internet.

[Blaagh]

the retail disc uses the same file format as the backup feature within steam and that has been reworked. can't load that data into todays steam at all

[Geebanger0]

Originally posted by Blaagh:

the retail disc uses the same file format as the backup feature within steam and that has been reworked. can't load that data into todays steam at all

unfortunate. How about the xbox 360 version? Would that still be playable in its base form

[nullable]

Originally posted by Geebanger0:

Originally posted by Blaagh:

the retail disc uses the same file format as the backup feature within steam and that has been reworked. can't load that data into todays steam at all

unfortunate. How about the xbox 360 version? Would that still be playable in its base form

Sure, I wouldn't expect any multiplayer to work though.

[Geebanger0]

Originally posted by nullable:

Originally posted by Geebanger0:

unfortunate. How about the xbox 360 version? Would that still be playable in its base form

Sure, I wouldn't expect any multiplayer to work though.

as long as its got bots thats fine by me. guess all i need now is an xbox

[nullable]

I don't recall early TF2 having bots. There was a training level that might have had some basic AI. But no bots, I think. I remember being a little disappointed because sometimes I played TFC with bots (although that was done through modding, they weren't integrated into the base game).

I mean double check, memory can be a fickle thing. But unless it's advertised on the box I wouldn't hold my breath.

Why wouldn't you just get current Tf2 and use/add bots with that? It might be easier than farting around with an 18 year old version of the game.

[Geebanger0]

Originally posted by nullable:

Why wouldn't you just get current Tf2 and use/add bots with that? It might be easier than farting around with an 18 year old version of the game.

well, that's kind of the point. To see if its possible, to see if you can still play the original game in some form. It's changed a lot since release, and whilst there are some newer versions that aim to recreate the original they always add or change things to 'improve' it.

Even if the original version isn't as good or as balanced or as playable, I'd still find it interesting to compare how it looks and feels to modern TF2.

[J4MESOX4D]

Originally posted by Geebanger0:

Originally posted by nullable:

Sure, I wouldn't expect any multiplayer to work though.

as long as its got bots thats fine by me. guess all i need now is an xbox :frank2:

TF2 doesn't have bots on console from what I remember and I'm not entirely sure if you can even start a match without having an online connection even in your own lobby.

Buying old PC game discs doesn't mean you get to experience the game in its original form - the discs merely host partial installation data in which the rest must be downloaded and in virtually all cases, it will download and install to the latest version of the game. Some titles offer historical branches which can be accessed but when it comes to online shooters, they need to be running the latest version and legacy ones are rare.

[Geebanger0]

Originally posted by J4MESOX4D:

Originally posted by Geebanger0:

as long as its got bots thats fine by me. guess all i need now is an xbox

TF2 doesn't have bots on console from what I remember and I'm not entirely sure if you can even start a match without having an online connection even in your own lobby.

Buying old PC game discs doesn't mean you get to experience the game in its original form - the discs merely host partial installation data in which the rest must be downloaded and in virtually all cases, it will download and install to the latest version of the game. Some titles offer historical branches which can be accessed but when it comes to online shooters, they need to be running the latest version and legacy ones are rare.

I'm guessing the same thing applies to other valve games? I have PC disc copies of L4D and L4D2, but if they'll just download as the modern version I may as well keep them in the box.

The XBox versions seem to be my best bet.

[J4MESOX4D]

Originally posted by Geebanger0:

Originally posted by J4MESOX4D:

TF2 doesn't have bots on console from what I remember and I'm not entirely sure if you can even start a match without having an online connection even in your own lobby.

Buying old PC game discs doesn't mean you get to experience the game in its original form - the discs merely host partial installation data in which the rest must be downloaded and in virtually all cases, it will download and install to the latest version of the game. Some titles offer historical branches which can be accessed but when it comes to online shooters, they need to be running the latest version and legacy ones are rare.

I'm guessing the same thing applies to other valve games? I have PC disc copies of L4D and L4D2, but if they'll just download as the modern version I may as well keep them in the box.

The XBox versions seem to be my best bet.

Pretty much. The only way to experience most games at their 1.0 stage is on console with no internet connection.