TF2 Removed/Unused Content

[DZComposer]

OK, first we need to see if the computer detects it.

Plug it in.

Go to Start -> Control Panel

If it is blue and says "Pick a Category," click "Switch to Classic View" on the left.

Open "Administrative Tools"

Open "Computer Management"

A window with two panes will open.

On the left, select "Device Manager."

On the right, look for the modem under "Network Adapters." It may show up as a UTStarcom modem.

If it is not there, look for it under "Other Devices." It may show up as a generic broadband adapter or network adapter in this case.

If it shows under other devices, you will need to install the software from Cricket. If you cannot find it at all, then either the card or the USB port is broken. Try a different USB port.

It is worth noting that this is an older modem. It does not work properly with Windows 7 or 8 without some workarounds, so if you get a new computer you will need a new one of these things.

[Kiloshi]

It doesn't appear under Network adapters, it appears under Modems as UTStarcom USB Modem #2, although what does appear under Network adapters is "Realtek RTL8168/8111 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet NIC"

 

I have to go now, i'll probably get back in tomorrow.

[The Shaper]

So we should rename this to "The Kiloshi Computer Thread" right?

[sroberson]

What kind of internet connection do you have? That's dial-up speed, and certainly will not work for online gaming of any kind.

If you are using dial-up, I'm so sorry for you.

'Ay! Dont be hating on that dial up! Ill have you know I put many years of World of Warcraft in on a 52kbps modem! Ironically, it was the memory and integrated graphics that was my bottleneck about 95% of the time.

@kiloshi Regarding a gaming PC rig, I've got a medium grade gaming computer that I picked up as a DIY from Newegg for about $700. Assembly required though.

[psy_commando]

'Ay! Dont be hating on that dial up! Ill have you know I put many years of World of Warcraft in on a 52kbps modem! Ironically, it was the memory and integrated graphics that was my bottleneck about 95% of the time.

@kiloshi Regarding a gaming PC rig, I've got a medium grade gaming computer that I picked up as a DIY from Newegg for about $700. Assembly required though.

Isn't that apologizing for the sake of apologizing ? What's the point really in trying to defend dial-up connections, when it shouldn't even exist anymore ? Unless you're kidding ?

And really, there's no way a 52kbps connection wouldn't bottleneck that game. WoW packets must be at least several times as big as that..

 

52 kbits per seconds is literally 6.5 kilobytes per seconds. And I insist on the "per seconds"...

Thus it would mean you would have a huge ping because most packets would get transferred in over 1000ms.. Those packets are supposed to reach you several times within a second normally.. So, no offense, but I have a hard time believing that you ran it without issues....

 

---------

 

Also, as for medium range gaming on a budget, you could always pick one of those APU that AMD has been releasing lately. It combines a medium end GPU and a CPU into one, so you only have to buy a CPU and motherboard and ram, no need to buy a GPU, even though you could eventually if you want more power.

 

You could get something like this :

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Solidyote/saved/3FE6

For around ~$500. And it would play TF2 and Minecraft, and even more. You could probably wait for big sales and get it for less even.

 

Of course I picked mostly parts that had the best long term value. I mean, those part will allow you to easily upgrade later on. Especially the case, its big, but it got room for lots of things, and you can put a big heatsink on your CPU. The mobo I picked, I did mostly because it has heatsinks on the voltage regulators and chipsets, those tend to get really hot under full load, and most cheap motherboards neglect to cool them.

The power supply should be enough for this build, and its an XFX, which is probably a re-branded Seasonic psu. And that build assumes you'd re-use your old Hard Drive + CD Drive. And the power supply would probably need to be upgraded with a dedicated video card.

I didn't research potential problem with each parts and drivers though. But, it shouldn't be too bad judging from the reviews.

 

If you'd want the cheapest I can think of :

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Solidyote/saved/3FGf

For around ~$300. This should run TF2 and minecraft, and probably more. You could probably wait for sales and get it for less.

 

This assume you re-use your old case, HDD and cd/dvd-drive. However using the stock AMD cooler is just unbearable to me, because it makes so much noise all the time..But you can fit the whole thing in any ATX / mATX sized case with no issues.

Note that the power supply would probably need to be upgraded with a dedicated video card.

 

However, in both cases, I'd advise you'd put a little more in the PSU if you got money, because it determines pretty much the life of your components. And its not really insane to put ~ $90-100+ in a good active PFC + extra safeties power supply. Read more here : http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/181

And of course, be sure to have a good power bar/surge protector to plug you PC into, it might help even with a not so good PSU !

[sroberson]

Isn't that apologizing for the sake of apologizing ? What's the point really in trying to defend dial-up connections, when it shouldn't even exist anymore ? Unless you're kidding ?

And really, there's no way a 52kbps connection wouldn't bottleneck that game. WoW packets must be at least several times as big as that..

 

52 kbits per seconds is literally 6.5 kilobytes per seconds. And I insist on the "per seconds"...

Thus it would mean you would have a huge ping because most packets would get transferred in over 1000ms.. Those packets are supposed to reach you several times within a second normally.. So, no offense, but I have a hard time believing that you ran it without issues....

Im...kidding?  I had dial-up until around 2008 when I finally convinced my family to move to DSL.  And the real noticeable lag occurred usually when I was running other network applications like Vent, Skype, or loading another web page at the same time.  Otherwise my hard drive was paging horribly whenever entering heavily populated areas and FPS dropped to maybe 2 or so.  Perhaps there was lag there as well, but I can't say since it was hardly playable until I left and things went back to normal.  

[Gestalt]

I can attest to running tf2 with (AMD-Turion M-36 @ 2.00GHz) WinXP SP3, 2GB DDR2 RAM, 128MB VRAM, very similar specs. Why, I loaded it just the other day. However, be forewarned that you are just on the threshold of functionality, so any networking hiccups will render a less than desirable experience.

>looks at old tf2 stats

>shudders

 

Should you find yourself interested, I could aggregate a list of 2D/3D games that should work with this machine.

Tho, shipping a drive loaded with tf2 would be much faster than dial-up. So networking is your limiting reactant. Ask around and see how/if anyone else has a decent service in your area. I myself decided to allocate my poorness resources to good internet first and better hardware will come second.

As for the future, I would encourage you to put away any money you can. If you ever do look into building a desktop and money is a severe issue, respect adequacy in hardware. You can build something desktop-wise in the $500-600 dollar range that will open many doors, comparatively.

 

As for the sound card, you should be able to put another one in your PCIe x1 expansion port.

[Kiloshi]

I think it is a good Idea to save money for a new computer, but that won't be for a while, because our last electric bill of about $500 dollars kicked our a$$. So currently, I can't afford even the cheapest dedicated computer.

 

Now that that discussion is over with (probably), I think it's time to get back with what this thread was about: The things that were unused and/or removed from TF2.

[The Shaper]

On that note, check out this cool link I found at the beginning of this thread: http://tcrf.net/Team_Fortress_2