Talk:The Orange Box

message: This is in regards to the request at the VG Assessment page.  I'm rating this article as B-class, Low-importance.  Here are a few tips to improve it!
I'm rating this as B-class, but proposing it for A-class, which by tradition needs a second assessor to agree.  I think that the PS3 frame rate section is too long for the issue, and that the reception and development sections could be longer.  I also recommend making the tracklists hidden (see Music_of_Final_Fantasy_VI#Final_Fantasy_VI_Grand_Finale for what I mean), though I think the little symbols your using are cute, with the lambda for HL1 and the oval for portal.  I recommend submitting this to GAR, and after cleaning it up more, sending it to FAC.  --PresN (talk) 21:14, 12 January 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Thanks PresN. -- Sabre (talk) 21:27, 12 January 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Agreed on the A-class. The issues presented by PresN are not big enough to keep this article from warranting an A. Furthermore, I upgraded importance to "High" instead of "Low" because this is a landmark release in a recent and new development of the way video games are released. User:Krator (t c) 22:20, 12 January 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: I also agree on both the A-class and High importance - I'm not a WPVG representative, but I've been watching the development of this article (and playing the games of course) since the days of the TF2 preload and think it would be well worth a shot at FA. It's in my watchlist to keep the vandals down, and I'll help to keep the todo list running (very good idea, that template). —Vanderdecken∴ ∫ξφ 12:26, 13 January 2008 (UTC)

text:  S@bre managed to fix it. Didn't know you could do that col-2 thing. Nice work. clicketyclickyaketyyak 15:30, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

text: I feel that we've done enough work on this to put it up for GA consideration, especially with Clicketyclick's expansion of the Black Box section. -- Sabre (talk) 11:48, 22 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: VG Assessment

message: Some minor issues, but nothing that can't be fixed later. You might want to source this statement: "...The Orange Box features five complete games compiled into one retail unit. It is the first of Valve's products to use indepth player statistics and achievement awards through the Steam system." Good job. David Fuchs (talk) 02:06, 23 January 2008 (UTC)
replies: text:  Ah, this is very exciting! I ref'd the passage. I think. It's sort of a roundabout ref, because I don't think there is any site pointing it out, but the Orange Box games are the only ones that have gameplay statistics currently, and I've tried to show that by using a cached page (because I'm sure future games will be released with reporting mechanisms for data collection). At the bottom, there are six items listed. Only four of those are to do with games and Day of Defeat has no statistics right now. The other three are from Orange Box. clicketyclickyaketyyak 04:34, 23 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  GA pass 

message: The Gabe Newell quote about the PS3 being 'a waste of time' seems irrelevant to the article,or at least biased, and would seem to me to be relevant only as criticism on the PS3 page.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.215.49.73 (talk) 20:15, 18 March 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: It's a properly sourced and notable statement. xenocidic (talk) 20:31, 18 March 2008 (UTC)
replies: text:  I agree, it helps establish context for the following paragraphs in the section with a view from the developers. -- Sabre (talk) 11:31, 19 March 2008 (UTC)
replies: text:  I'm not so sure about "Gabe Newell explained..." is he actually explaining why Valve didn't develop the PS3 version, or is he simply offering his opinion on the PS3?  It just seems a little bit ambiguous and potentially misleading. LosHavros (talk) 17:29, 8 April 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: As the managing director of game development and co-founder of Valve, I don't think it's just "opinion" but speaks moreso to company strategy. xenocidic (talk) 17:34, 8 April 2008 (UTC)
replies: text:  Could you say that this rationale can be derived implicitly from the article by the majority of people though?  LosHavros (talk) 17:49, 8 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Gabe Newell Quote 

message: on the issue of users buying their orange box cheap online, I don't think it is fair to say they tried to circumvent their EULA. It sounds biased, as if users tried to cheat steam, when in face one might argue it is the other way around. In the end of the day most users were probably not aware of these regional issues, and just hoped to get the game cheaper - and ended up having to buy the box twice.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.201.100.166 (talk) 19:05, 21 March 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: I think there's a related issue here. In the Philippines, the Orange box was sold on retail PC but later it was pulled out because users cannot register and says 'Invalid Product Key'. Since The Orange Box will never be released in the Philippines (Or any other country that Steam does not recongnize) on Retail and expects all potential buyers in those countries to have a credit card, DSL, and a lot of patience. 203.76.206.76 (talk) 07:28, 18 May 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  users "circumvent their Steam EULA " 

message: Isn't Peggle bundled with the Orange box too? Seems like it should be mentioned. Scott Ritchie (talk) 00:08, 22 March 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Orange Box comes with a sample version of Peggle called Peggle Extreme. It is mentioned under the Promotions section of the Wiki.
No, Peggle isn't bundled with the Orange Box.  If it was, it would be the odd one out because it's not an fps.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Cpfan1234 (talk • contribs) 05:13, 3 June 2009 (UTC)

text: The original Peggle isn't, but a special (cut-down and themed for the Orange Box games) edition called Peggle Extreme is. Being a different genre doesn't mean Valve can't sell it in the same package. —Vanderdecken∴ ∫ξφ 09:23, 3 June 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Peggle? 

message: Wasn't the release date delayed until October 10? I remember that, because that is my birthday. (Edit: Or perhaps that's when it was unlocked. See: http://www.steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=news&archive=yes&id=1237&cc=US.) Steam mentions it was "released" on Oct. 10 (see: http://www.steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=news&archive=yes&id=1186&cc=US). Also, some other Wikipedia articles mention the Oct. 10 release date. Also note that in the infobox, where it states Windows (download), that article writes October 9, though the source referenced is dated as October 10. I am fairly convinced the "release date" is October 10. ~ UBeR (talk) 00:56, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Release date 

message: Currently, the lead reads, "The Orange Box is a video game compilation produced and published by the Valve Corporation for Microsoft Windows and the Xbox 360. It was released on October 9, 2007, as both a boxed retail copy and a Windows-only download available through Valve's Steam service. A PlayStation 3 version was later produced by Electronic Arts, being released on December 11, 2007, in North America and in Europe."
I think, however, it should read something like "The Orange Box is a video game compilation produced and published by the Valve Corporation for Microsoft Windows, the Xbox 360, and the PlayStation 3," so as not to downplay the PS3 version (and because, as a matter of fact, it is a game for each of these systems). We can then explain the different release dates in subsequent sentences. (See above section about Xbox and PC release dates.) ~ UBeR (talk) 03:07, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Agreed AP Shinobi (talk) 15:36, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Lead 

message: As I was reading over the article, I noticed that the passage talking about the censored German version of the game that I remembered was no longer there. I looked back through the history and found the change, which was done because "no better source could be found," and admittedly, the source we had in there was a little... well not very official. But any old google search will show you that German players have been clamouring for hacks to fix this, and that these hacks have been created for them, so it really isn't a hoax.
With help, I tracked down two sources which I feel are acceptable. They are from German websites dedicated to tracking and recording the censorship that video games receive in Germany editions, since Germany has a robust history of censoring video games. Even if you can't read German, the volume of screenshot documentation will adequately convey exactly what it's saying to you and makes the source more trustworthy. Additionally, the detailed source is noteworthy enough to have a page on German Wikipedia: Schnittberichte.com — if you're wondering what's going on on the talk page, the first section is about avoiding POV by discussion first on the talk page and the reply thanks the poster and states that they do not see any more POV in the article. The second section is a challenge, asserting that the article is advertising and has no value. The response that ended that discussion was that the complainant's edits were reverted because they were advertising and his retaliatory allegations made in revenge are not needed because the article is very relevant. 
And just because a source is not in English does not mean it cannot be used in English-language articles as there is a reference format to account for non-English language sources.
Team Fortress 2—detail (source 1)
Team Fortress 2—summary (source 2)
Half-Life 2: Episode 2—detail (source 1)
I have the full translations of the Team Fortress 2 articles thanks to German speakers I know. The Epi2 article basically confirms what was previously removed from The Orange Box article about fading bodies and red blood being coloured grey, and this was done to all the Half-Life games included. So with your approval, I will reinsert and rewrite the section on censorship. clicketyclickyaketyyak 22:36, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Go for it. I think there's some field somewhere in the reference template that denotes if its in a foreign language. If not, just throw in "(in German)" between the end of the reference template and the end of the reference code. Ie: |accessdate=2008-05-08}} (in German)</ref> -- Sabre (talk) 10:34, 8 May 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Agreed. I dug around for sources myself for it but couldn't get anywhere with it. If you've got a reliable source that will stand up to scrutiny feel free to re-add the content Gazimoff WriteRead 12:50, 8 May 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Censored German version 

message: Please note that the Portal screenshot has been listed for deletion. You may wish to follow the discussion here. Many thanks, Gazimoff WriteRead 17:11, 16 May 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Please note that the image has been relisted here. Many thanks, Gazimoff WriteRead 03:41, 5 June 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Portal Screenshot listed for deletion. 

message: Most software pages on Wikipedia have license in the infobox . Is this not common for gaming software? Or is this something that would be okay to add to the infobox? I do not see mention of any license on the entire page, save a link to the generic Wikipedia eula page.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.112.69.173 (talk) 01:24, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: The license is assumed to be proprietary. If not, you could assume the same license as the game engine. —Vanderdecken∴ ∫ξφ 16:13, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  License of the Game Software Not Mentioned 

message: I found that the PSM3 Review needed a citation. I went ahead and looked up the review on their website, and found it here. I'd edit the article, but I'm a newbie when it comes to editing articles (it took me a while to try and make that link), so I was just wondering if someone could put in the citation. (rct2guy (talk) 13:35, 12 August 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  PSM3 Review 

message: Team Fortress 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode Two lists both retail (Orange Box) and Steam dates as October 10, The Orange Box lists retail as October 10 and Steam October 9 and finally Portal has both dates as October 9. I guess some of those dates are incorrect. --Mika1h (talk) 16:44, 17 October 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Release dates 

message: I found this: Play Magazine review. JimmyBlackwing (talk) 03:27, 28 October 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Reference material 

message: Attention, all contributors to the Valve Task Force and the articles it constitutes!
I am here to announce that I will be re-vitalizing the Valve Task Force, aimed at universally improving articles constituting Valve Corporation, their employees, associates and products. This specific task force has been dormant for quite some time and with two very notable releases coming out this year, I feel like this is the appropriate time to re-stimulate the general aim of this group. For those who are not already members of the Valve Task Force, feel free to add your name to our members list and contribute to whatever articles you feel your contributions may prove beneficial for. Valve, its products and notable employees have proven to be essential to the progression of the video game industry, so I'd like to make a call of arms for this cause. DarthBotto talk•cont 22:11, 08 February 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Valve Task Force Re-vitalization 

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thread_title:  External links modified 

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thread_title:  External links modified 

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message: The lead reads
however, the infobox says that both versions released on Oct 10. Which one is correct? I'd also like to add that the release is not covered in the body and thus completely unsourced, which shouldn't be the case with a GA. Lordtobi (✉) 20:19, 6 July 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: I suspect that "earlier day" came from some people west of the Eastern Time Zone where the game unlocked the previous night. Steam says it was the 10th, so we should stay with the 10th. --Masem (t) 20:21, 6 July 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: Even Easties like me saw the Oct 10 release date on Steam while the compilation was actually announced for the day prior. So was it the retail version that released early? Lordtobi (✉) 20:33, 6 July 2018 (UTC)

text: It appears the game was delayed by a day. So yeah, the lead is definetly incorrect. Lordtobi (✉) 20:35, 6 July 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: I was going to add that given that the IGN article claimed the PS3 version would also be out the same day, when it was pushed back a lot, I'd go with everything being released on Oct 10th. --Masem (t) 20:37, 6 July 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  Release date 

message: Does anyone know the release date of The Orange Box for MacOS. On the article currently it states May 2010 with this ref  but the article only lists Half-Life 2 as being released not The Orange Box package/compilation itself. It may be worth noting that the List of Valve games article does not list macOS as a platform. Regards  Spy-cicle💥  Talk? 20:24, 5 February 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  MacOS Release Date