Don't waste money on The Orange Box

"The best deal in videogame history." - IGN.com

What a load of (BLEEP). The games are great but the Steam technology to install them is nothing but bug ridden garbage. You pay for two DVD's but it automatically tries to install the game off the internet. What genius came up with that idea? Lets give the customer DVD"s that they won't need, they'll just be for looks, and the game will install itself from the internet. Brilliant idea!

There are ISP's that won't let you use Steam. Why? Because it is a bad idea. There are posts stating that thousands are having these install problems. From whatwe have read Steams tech support is anywhere from a joke to NON-EXISTANT so don't waste your time. They already have your money.

If you're lucky on the 3rd try of reinstalling it will actually start to install off the DVD's. Next thing you know you are looking at the Steam screen and it is downloading and installing the games again from the internet or is downloading updates. And how long does it say it will take to install? It says it will take days and that is with a high speed modem. But you keep getting messages that Steam is busy and try again later. So you are probably looking at a week minimum to get the game installed.

What happened to the days where you put a game in, click install and it installs? Oh wait those days still exist because all other games seem to use that process. You shouldn't have to spend a week just to install a bloody game. It should be called "Toaster In A Box" not The Orange Box. You've just purchased frustration in a box that is good for absolutely nothing but collecting dust. Now we're reading about problems launching the game if you are one of the lucky ones to manage to get it installed.

We don't have the time to spend a week installing a game. We have a family member that is dying so you spend almost every day, 7-8 hours a day at different hospitals. It is not a very pleasant experience. Neither is trying to install this game. Quit ripping off the consumer.

Sucks

But I use steam all the time, have over 20 games from it. I buy games using it and download them at pretty fast speeds.

I preloaded the orange box before it was released, and just loaded the game up 10 minutes after the second it was released. I don't have any problems with installing anymore, I just let it run and come back to it later ready to play.

Steam offers convenience for some (not you) because you can get games in your own home straight away and not have to deal with silly dvd/cds and silly cd keys.

You had a pretty bad experience, thats bound to happen with any product so I don't suspect you'll be coming back to use it...ever. Its probably a good thing that you weren't around when it was a buggy mess back in 2004, then you'd probably be on some rampage by now. Anyway, I love steam, many others here love steam, I'm sorry you don't. and Orange Box is by far the best deal of 2007

I love the Orange Box and am generally a fan of Steam, but I agree with your points and understand your frustration completely. I'm guessing Valve grossly underestimated the response to their sale and just don't have the bandwidth to support it. I pre-ordered and when HL2 and Portal were available I downloaded both within a couple hours (overnight). It's taken me more than 24 hours to download games I bought since the sale.

The fact that the boxed version seems to prefer downloading everything over installing what it can from disk sounds dumb.

If I were Valve, I'd make the archive files available to file sites like GamersHell, FileFront, FilePlanet so when my servers got abused people could go elsewhere. You'd still need a Steam verified licensed but you could download from someplace with decent download speed and only connect to Steam for the activation.

As far as support goes I'm afraid Valve is no worse than the average publisher. If you want to be a PC gamer, for better or worse, you have to learn how to use FAQs, Knowledge Bases, and message boards. The days of personalized help are gone.

Steam is great, as long as it works. It's rare, but sometimes Steam servers are down and then you can't play any of your games.RK-Mara

Yeah and that is the major problem I see with Steam. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy Steam but I still think "what happens if for some reason Valve has to kill Steam?" I don't see Valve going out of business any time soon but I can't predict the future and I like truely owning the things I buy...

Steam is great, as long as it works. It's rare, but sometimes Steam servers are down and then you can't play any of your games.RK-Mara

Thats incorrect.

If an internet connection, or the steam servers are unavailiable, you can run steam in offline mode and play. You only REQUIRE an internet connection for the initial registration

I have not had a single problem with steam. Ever.

No one I personally know has ever had a problem with steam. Ever.

All software, all hardware, all systems - all have problems. Steam isn't an exception but neither is it exceptional. It has some problems, sure. So does everything. There just happen to be over ten million steam accounts. Get a few hiccups here and there and it affects more people. It's not any worse than anything else, on the contrary - it's just more popular.

There is already a moderate-anti-steam community, I guess... but by and large, right here, you're preaching to a group of people, and some will agree with you... but most do not, and never will. Either way, it's a waste of time.

"The best deal in videogame history." - IGN.com

There are ISP's that won't let you use Steam. Why? Because it is a bad idea. There are posts stating that thousands are having these install problems. From whatwe have read Steams tech support is anywhere from a joke to NON-EXISTANT so don't waste your time. They already have your money.

We don't have the time to spend a week installing a game. We have a family member that is dying so you spend almost every day, 7-8 hours a day at different hospitals. It is not a very pleasant experience. Neither is trying to install this game. Quit ripping off the consumer.

wgeiler

What ISP doesnt let you use steam? Steam client is nothing more then a web browser. If your ISP doesnt let you use Steam for some reason, then I suggest you take it back to the store for an exchange.

When you go out and buy a game box from a retailer, that money doesnt go directly to the game publisher/developer. That money you give to the retailer goes to the retailer pockets. The publisher gets their money from box sales to the retailer. So there is a middleman involved, that middleman is the retailer.

How is it values or anyones fault of your own personal problems? maybe playing a game isnt a priority at this moment in time. You are the only one I have heard come on to gamespot, complaining the orange box isnt working. Every other million or so people all have their boxes work just fine.

I've never had a problem with steam.

Steam is awesome, and it keeps stupid middle men (the publishers) out of the picture for many games, especially the "indy" games.

It does not work for some people, true, but neither do regular DVDs. Someone is always unhappy no matter what format a game comes in. If you could somehow put a game on a deliscious yet healthy donut and it installs as you eat it, someone would complain about that.

So, my advice is to go to the support forums. I found all sorts of solutions, from how to stop myself fro mgetting motion sickness when HL2 was released to setting up custom resolutions to downloading issues.

I never had a problem with Steam.

Btw, ...why do you keep referring to yourself as "we?"

A point kind of touched upon but not fully stated is that STEAM is making games much more affordable. I know lots of people that are happy paying for games now whereas before they would resort to illegal copies. I'm in Australia and the current US dollar exchange rate means the games are incredibly good value.

As to STEAM becoming not available at some point in the future - well... life moves on, I'm not going to be playing the games I'm buying today 5 years down the track. In the future HL2 will be free 10sec download from a retro game site. ;)

As to STEAM becoming not available at some point in the future - well... life moves on, I'm not going to be playing the games I'm buying today 5 years down the track. In the future HL2 will be free 10sec download from a retro game site. ;)

jasperrussell

Just another little nugget of information: Gabe has stated that if they were to ever go out of business or shut steam down for some reason, they have the ability to remove all authentication procedures which would ensure that any product purchased over steam will still be playable without the steam service.

So you'll be able to play your games long after steam has kicked the bucket

[QUOTE="jasperrussell"]

As to STEAM becoming not available at some point in the future - well... life moves on, I'm not going to be playing the games I'm buying today 5 years down the track. In the future HL2 will be free 10sec download from a retro game site. ;)

TeamR

Just another little nugget of information: Gabe has stated that if they were to ever go out of business or shut steam down for some reason, they have the ability to remove all authentication procedures which would ensure that any product purchased over steam will still be playable without the steam service.

So you'll be able to play your games long after steam has kicked the bucket

praise steam and valve, i say. great system. i had my doubts in the beginning, but it goes to show that they are way ahead of the times.

I've never had a problem with Steam, not even back in 2004.

However, I wouldn't say I'm a fan and when given the choice, I'll always choose the non-Steam version of games.

Although there are definitely some advantages to Steam, i.e. when games are tied to accounts, it's like convenience versus flexibility comparing Steam to non-Steam.

When games aren't tied to accounts, it's not as convenient (example: need discs), however it's more flexible and more of a true "ownership" scenario rather than something more akin to a "rental" -- you can trade/buy used/sell/borrow your games, you don't need to commit yourself to the add'l expenditure of an internet connection for the rest of your life, your usage (install in particular) of a game isn't dependent on the existence of a server or service, etc. Also non-Steam installs allow you more control, you can use a game install directory structure of your own choosing for example.

Although I've noticed on "Games for Windows" titles it says do not lend this disc, so some of the non-Steam advantages are becoming less relevant anyway :)

It's too bad though OP, best of luck getting things working. The Orange Box is a great set of games!

"The best deal in videogame history." - IGN.com

What a load of (BLEEP). The games are great but the Steam technology to install them is nothing but bug ridden garbage. You pay for two DVD's but it automatically tries to install the game off the internet. What genius came up with that idea? Lets give the customer DVD"s that they won't need, they'll just be for looks, and the game will install itself from the internet. Brilliant idea!

There are ISP's that won't let you use Steam. Why? Because it is a bad idea. There are posts stating that thousands are having these install problems. From whatwe have read Steams tech support is anywhere from a joke to NON-EXISTANT so don't waste your time. They already have your money.

If you're lucky on the 3rd try of reinstalling it will actually start to install off the DVD's. Next thing you know you are looking at the Steam screen and it is downloading and installing the games again from the internet or is downloading updates. And how long does it say it will take to install? It says it will take days and that is with a high speed modem. But you keep getting messages that Steam is busy and try again later. So you are probably looking at a week minimum to get the game installed.

What happened to the days where you put a game in, click install and it installs? Oh wait those days still exist because all other games seem to use that process. You shouldn't have to spend a week just to install a bloody game. It should be called "Toaster In A Box" not The Orange Box. You've just purchased frustration in a box that is good for absolutely nothing but collecting dust. Now we're reading about problems launching the game if you are one of the lucky ones to manage to get it installed.

We don't have the time to spend a week installing a game. We have a family member that is dying so you spend almost every day, 7-8 hours a day at different hospitals. It is not a very pleasant experience. Neither is trying to install this game. Quit ripping off the consumer.

wgeiler

I've never occurred anything like what you are describing. Steam is a great app that works fine if you have the slightest clue as to what you are doing.

"The best deal in videogame history." - IGN.com

What a load of (BLEEP). The games are great but the Steam technology to install them is nothing but bug ridden garbage. You pay for two DVD's but it automatically tries to install the game off the internet. What genius came up with that idea? Lets give the customer DVD"s that they won't need, they'll just be for looks, and the game will install itself from the internet. Brilliant idea!

I'm not a fan of steam because of previous problems with it, but really I've learned to grin a bare with it. I'd never again buy a game through steam just because I don't see the big savings that valve is suposedly passing onto it's customers via reduced production costs. I like my shiney new box and manuals and disks to much I guess so it's worth it to me to have a hard copy.

I sit puzzled sometimes asking myself why the heck is it downloading data off steam that should be on the disks I purchased. I've never really dug into it enough to satisfy my curiosity but I often wonder what those little steam gremlins are doing in the background while I wait to play.

I've tinkered and updated, modded, edited myself till the point of tearing out my hair trying to get far inferior games to play and if any game is worth a solid 2 days of mind numbing hassles to finially get to a working state I'd say it would be Orange Box.

"The best deal in videogame history." - IGN.com

What a load of (BLEEP). The games are great but the Steam technology to install them is nothing but bug ridden garbage.

wgeiler

Stopped reading right there. Your personal issues with Steam has nothing to do with anyone but yourself. Steam is excellent technology that makes gaming easier for everyone.

what genius still buys CDs ... having all (most) of your games in your steam account is very simple and easy to use

personnaly, i love steam

and for the orange box, you get 5 games (i haven't played 4 of them, so i was happy) ... just for portal and the 3 half-life 2 games ... you can easily have 25 to 30 .. maybe 35 hours of pure pleasure

with team fortress, it's so much more, lots of custom maps to come, lots of fun ... i totaly love that game

what genius still buys CDs ... having all (most) of your games in your steam account is very simple and easy to use

personnaly, i love steam

and for the orange box, you get 5 games (i haven't played 4 of them, so i was happy) ... just for portal and the 3 half-life 2 games ... you can easily have 25 to 30 .. maybe 35 hours of pure pleasure

with team fortress, it's so much more, lots of custom maps to come, lots of fun ... i totaly love that game

waza000

Hey now, CDs/DVDs are still a good thing. Theyre actual, physical property. Its a state of mind thing imo, and its nice actually having something to own. Technically having games on Steam is more secure since there are no disks to break, lose, or scratch, but for us "old timers" a disk is often a must have. Not to mention there is still a significant amount of people that lack broadband internet, a must-have for downloading games.

I wont lie, though, when the time does come that stores stop carrying games and we need to use Steam-type programs to get games, I wont be upset by it.

The Orange Box = greatest deal in gaming history.

We don't have the time to spend a week installing a game. We have a family member that is dying so you spend almost every day, 7-8 hours a day at different hospitals. It is not a very pleasant experience. Neither is trying to install this game. Quit ripping off the consumer.

wgeiler

But obviously you have enough time to play Orange Box (or at least try to play and then come write a freakin' essay about how much you hate it).

But yeah, I've never had any problems, aside from me forgetting my password then not being able to play until I remember it.

And it is the best deal in gaming history. Team Fortress, Portal, and Halflife could all sell well just by themselves, but they're being sold in one package. For $50.

this thread seems to of turned into STEAM discussion - and another point I'd like to make is that when you start a STEAM game it automatically updates any patches that have been released so you always have the latest version and bug fixes - NICE! it means all other STEAM players have the same version also, so less online incompatibilities.

Remember when you used to have truck loads of CDs lying around your house in the wrong covers and getting scratched. Now all your songs are on your ipod or hard drive - much better! Kids born today won't believe you when you tell them music used to come on round plastic discs - they'll just ask why? Not owning the actual game discs is the way of the future - don't get bogged down by "ownership" issues.

Sucks to be you dude.

[QUOTE="wgeiler"]

We don't have the time to spend a week installing a game. We have a family member that is dying so you spend almost every day, 7-8 hours a day at different hospitals. It is not a very pleasant experience. Neither is trying to install this game. Quit ripping off the consumer.

uberchrislol

But obviously you have enough time to play Orange Box (or at least try to play and then come write a freakin' essay about how much you hate it).

lol. if that's the case, that you don't have time to wait cuz you have to be in the hospital for 7-8 hours a day, then just have it download while you're in the hospital.